DOLlSHOUSE

WORLD
World’s best selling miniatures magazine dollshouseworld.com £6.99 n Issue 342

Issue 340

QUICK
& EASY
MAKES

Beautiful homes
n STUNNING HOMES 07

n INSPIRING IDEAS
& inspiring ideas
n MINI PROJECTS 9 770961 092086 >
contents
small details 4 Scene Around
Inger Henriksson takes us on a tour of
37 Quick & Easy
Sandra makes a fish in a display case
her wonderful island she shed studio in no time at all
Issue 342
To reach us: Call +44 (0)1903 884988
Or write to: Dolls House World, 8 Mini Makes
Debbie just can’t stop making mini
38 Scene Around
Lillian takes us through the creation
PO Box 2258, Pulborough RH20 9BA quilts after coming up with the idea of her wonderful Córdoba courtyard
Great Britain
email: support@ashdown.co.uk
Website: www.dollshouseworld.com 10 House Proud
Department store is a treasure trove of
40 Miniature Showcase
We take you round some of the beautiful
Editor: Richard Jennings memories for mother and daughter miniatures shown at a past show
Email: richard@ashdown.co.uk
Feature writer: Sandra Harding
Advertisement sales:
Maria Fitzgerald
12 Mini Makes
Hang tiny birdhouses on a pretty little
42 Outdoor Living
Kristine Hanna has taken her mini
shelf with Kris Compas garden to a new level with pool patio
Email: maria@ashdown.co.uk
Design: Wendy Crosthwaite
US office: Ashdown Inc., PO Box 219,
Kasson, MN 55944.
16 My Mini World
Susan Freeman uses her interior de-
46 Mini Makes
Adding wooden blinds is a great way
Tel: 507-634-3143
sign background in twelfth scale rooms of dressing a small window

Subscriptions:
UK: support@ashdown.co.uk
20 House Proud
It’s time for tea in Gill’s inspired
48 Shop Visit
Pauline’s shop began as a project to
wonderland in thatched cottage keep her busy after a car accident
US: usoffice@ashdown.co.uk
ISSN 0961 - 0928. Printed in the UK.
24 Open House
This amazing mansion is teeming with
50 House Proud
It took many years but sun eventually
Subscription prices: colourful life, and a lot of different dolls shines on Sunnyside Cottage
Per year: UK £69.99 (12 issues).
European and worldwide prices will be
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30 House Proud
Rebecca’s Master Swordsman Pub
54 Small Accomplishments
Danielle’s Georgian dress shop, Kristine’s
or call +44 (0)1903 884988. All of our sub- pays tribute to her father fairy land and Shernelle’s room box
scriptions are handled by us here at DHW.

35 Cutouts
Great ideas for you to cut out and
57 Cutouts
More great twelfth scale ideas for your
add to your house house or room box

4
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2 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD


“where little things matter”
welcome
Getting away on holiday
is not easy at the mo-
ment, so this issue we
bring you some great
destinations where you can relax in
miniature.
You can take it easy, and enjoy the
island life, sitting in the rocking chair
on Inger Henriksson’s verandah. When
you need a bit of activity you can work
on the doll’s house being put together
inside.
If that she shed is a bit rustic for
your taste, then relax in a modern
setting that is the complete opposite.
Kristine Hanna has created a split level
patio retreat, complete with swimming
pool and ample space to stretch out on
the elegant loungers.
Or how about visiting a Cordoba
courtyard decked with flowers? You re-
ally will feel like you’re in Spain. Lillian
Miller was inspired to create the scene
after seeing a photo of a flower festival,
and she tells us how she put it together.
It’s always lovely when houses have
a story to tell. We visit Rebecca Mi-
callef’s pub, which she built as a tribute
to her swordsman father, and talk to
Victoria Savage about the department
store she has created in honour of her
late mother, who worked with her in
the mini business for many years.
Karen Lyons tells us how she eventu-
ally got round to working on the house
she had when she was six, and we tour
a wonderful mansion that’s five-foot
long, four foot high and was made to
measure to sit on a sideboard.
Lots of projects for you to get on
with too. Jump right in and you won’t
have time for a holiday.
email: richard@ashdown.co.uk
www.dollshouseworld.com
dollshouseworld
dollshouseworldmagazine
59 Paint by Numbers
We take a look at Manet’s painting,
73 Mini MakesMake simple wrought iron brackets
A Bar at the Folies-Bergère with Sandra Gurney Turner
60 House Proud
After a lot of kit-bashing Michele is the
74 Mini MakesHow to install some modern mini deck
proud owner of inviting Willows Farm lights — it’s easier than you think
64 Mini Makes
Beehive will add some rural charm
76 Mini MakesMake a twelfth scale morning glory
to your garden vine for your doll’s house garden
66 Mini Makes
A tiny tambourine makes a great
82 Where I Work
This month we visit the workshop of
addition to lots of scenes miniaturist Rebecca Stewart
68 Vintage Minis
Collector Troy Bettridge shares his
Sonia Messer doll’s house furniture
72 Mini Makes
These pretty cupcakes will look
good at a summer tea party
Quote of the month:
‘ While I pride myself on trying to
be creative in all areas of my life, I
have occasionally gone overboard,
like the time I decided to bring to
a party a salad that I constructed, HOUSE HUNT
Find the little house hidden inside.
on a huge rattan platter, to look
like a miniature scale model of the
‘ n Last issue it appeared on page 66
Gardens of Babylon.
Gregory Maguire
30 42
Caring for the environment: Here at Dolls House World we’re as concerned about the environment as you are. We’re doing everything
we can to ensure the magazine is produced in the most eco friendly way possible.
Our magazine is printed using vegetable-based inks on an environmentally responsible paper, which is certified by the prestigious
FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council), the not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of responsible forest management
worldwide. Our paper also carries the internationally recognised EU Eco-label.
Our local printers, Gemini Print, are just a few miles from the DHW offices. They are one of the leading eco friendly printers in the UK,
with both FSC® and ISO 14001 certification. They are backed by a series of environmental credentials that allow them to work under
the “Green Printing Label”. Our printers are also a sponsor of the Woodland Trust – the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity.
DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
3
 SCENE AROUND

Island life is just perfe

Inger Henriksson takes us on a tour of her wonderful island she shed studio, and nothing is
missing in this this slice of paradise.. there’s even a doll’s house on the workbench

BY INGER HENRIKSSON

I
n 2017 my husband and I moved
from Sweden for a new life in
Palma on the beautiful island of
Mallorca. I could finally spend all the
time I wanted on my new doll’s house
hobby.
As a retired illustrator and designer,
the transfer to mini-making was fairly
easy since the materials and tools are
so similar and familiar. This hobby also
includes my top two favourite interests
– interior design and architecture.
This room box is my tribute to island
living and was based on an idea I got
after seeing a picture on Pinterest of a
she shed studio house. I started with
a Serendipity kit, which fitted my idea
quite well but needed to be changed
a lot.
I extended the surface, added
height with a new roof, put in several
new big windows for more light and
built a big open fireplace for the chilly
winter months. All electricity is hid-
den in the Spanish inspired chimney.
I made two covered porches, one for
chilling out and the other one for plant-
ing and gardening supplies.
I love making my own furniture and
decorations, either from scratch or kits.
Most things are made by me except
for the cute wire settee, dog, chairs,
food and wine, some planters and
fence panel. The old iron daybed is, by
the way, made from fence panels. An
easy solution to add intricate details to

4 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

 SCENE AROUND

fect
almost everything.
The 1/144 replica of the shed that
my ‘mini-me’ is building is a kit I re-
designed. To put a doll’s house in the
doll’s house is an old idea, I know, but
nevertheless very charming and fun. I
simply couldn’t resist the temptation.
My favourite furniture is the minia-
ture of my own Moroccan table. The
legs are bent wire and the mosaic top
is a printed from a Moroccan furniture

Top right: There is a miniature house in

progress on the studio table, plus so many
other amazing details.
Above and right: Inger’s favourite piece of
furniture in this project is the miniature ver-
sion of her own life scale Moroccan table.

DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

5
 SCENE AROUND

online shop. Cheeky me! Well, why
make things complicated and expen-
sive when you can make it easy and
fast, right?
I used the same method for all the
woodwork inside and outside, printed
from a wallpaper site, glued on card-
board strips and added cuts, splits and
age to mimic the real thing.
The stone floor on the porches was
a challenge. After several frustrating
and time-consuming failures, I finally
found the answer in a china shop that
sells everything at bargain prices:
a cork sheet in the hobby section. I
finally got that rough and rustic look I
wanted at a ridiculously low price.
Left: The old iron daybed is made from
fence panels.
‘
Why make things
complicated and
expensive when
you can make it
‘
easy and fast
All the plants are small plastic plants
you can find almost anywhere except
for the cheese plant, which was a kit
and some that I made myself. The big
one, in-between the porches, is a mini
version of the one on my terrace. I took
some dry brown pieces from a life
scale plant for a natural stem look.

6 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

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DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

7

Beautiful mini quilts
are simple to create
Debbie just can’t stop making these mini quilts after
coming up with a simple way of making them.
Follow along and you’ll soon be as hooked as she is
H
ey everyone! I want to share
with you this simple to make
quilt. This is what I refer to as a
decorative miniature. It is made
to be used on a doll’s house bed or
hung on the wall for a little vintage
farmhouse decor.
I remember visiting my grand-
mother who stirred within me a love
for quilting. At her farmhouse she
often had a quilt on every bed and little
quilts hanging on her walls for decor.
She said they were too pretty to fold
and put away. There were also many lit-
tle quilt pieces waiting to be sewn into
a larger quilt, or quilt tops waiting to
be quilted.
As a young girl, I was intrigued with
all the different fabrics, the quilting
process, and the talents of my grand-
mother, who knew every step each
project needed. Move ahead 40 plus
years and I too have quilts in sev-
eral stages ready to be finished. She
passed down her love of fabric, sewing
and quilting to me.
This little quilt is a simple version of
a challenging quilt pattern referred to
as “Around the world”. Normally there
are several hundred squares that are
sewn strategically together to create
the pattern. One day I stood looking at
this pattern and thought there’s got to
be a way to make a simple miniature
version. You won’t believe the simple
technique I came up with. In fact it’s
so easy I can’t stop making these little
quilts!
8 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
MINI MAKES
BY DEBBIE BOOTH
Assembly Step 4. Pin and sew a yellow strip to
Step 1. Cut each colour of cotton fab- the side of the red strip. Repeat pro-
ric into 1 1/2” x 44” strips. Cut another cess. Trim threads, remove pins, press
red strip so that there are 2 red strips. open.
Step 5. Pin and sew a blue strip to the
side of the yellow strip. Repeat pro-
cess. Pin and sew a green strip to the
side of the blue strip.
Step 6. Finish with a pink strip to the
side of the green strip. Press sewn
strips so that they are flat.
Step 2. Take 6 cut strips and arrange
in order to be sewn. See photo for
placement order. Begin with the pink
strip. Pin to the red strips and sew the
strips together using 1/4” seam allow-
ance. Once sewn together press two
strips open and flat.
Step 3. Pin a red strip to the pink strip
side and sew together. Trim threads
and remove pins. Press open.
You will need
n 1/4 yard of cotton fabrics:
medium pink, red, yellow, green,
blue, pale pink or blue
n White cotton 10” x 10” for quilt
backing
n Ruler or measuring tape Step 7. Next, take a piece of paper or
n Scissors cardboard and with a ruler or measur-
n Straight pins ing tape and measure a 3 1/2” x 3 1/2”
square. Cut square out.

Step 8. This is the simple part! Place
the material on the fabric matching
the point on the inner seam of the
fabric. Pin in place. Carefully cut out
this square. You will need 4 of these
squares for each quilt.
Step 9. Look at the photo - match two
blocks together, matching carefully the
seams, pinning together. The seams
should fit together fine because they
were all sewn with the same seam
allowance so they should be the same
size.
Step 10. Sew these two blocks to-
gether. Press flat. Match up the next two
blocks, pin and sew together. Press flat.
Step 11. The next step is to pin the top
section to the bottom section. Match up
the lines as good as you can and pin
carefully together. The centre lines or
seams need to match up correctly. Sew
the bottom and the top together. Trim
threads and remove pins. Press flat.
MINI MAKES
Step 12. Finishing the front. Take the
red strip without measuring or trim-
ming, and pin it to the right side of the
quilt.
Sew 2 pieces together using a 1/4”
seam allowance. Remove pins, trim
thread. Cut the excess strip length.
Take that strip and pin it to the left side
of the quilt. Sew the 2 pieces together.
Remove pins and trim thread. Trim
away the excess fabric strip. Continue
the process pinning and sewing the
remainder strips to the top and bottom
of the quilt.
Step 13. Cut away excess fabric and
square up the quilt.
Step 14. Take the cotton fabric for the
backing and place the square quilt
face down onto the fabric. I place my
quilt towards the corner, lining up the
edges.
TOPTIP
There is no batting in my quilts because
I feel like it makes the quilts look too
firm and heavy.
Step 15. Pin the two pieces together
before cutting. Then trim away excess
fabric. Leaving a 2” opening on one
side sew the front quilt to the backing.
Where the opening is turn the little
quilt inside out. Use a straight pin to
work on the corners and make the
corners squared. Turn in the opening
1/4”. Pin closed.
Step 16. Top stitch all around the edge
of the quilt. I sew around the quilt
about 1/8” from the edge on all 4 sides.
This closes the quilt and also gives the
top edge a nice looking finish.
Step 17. If placing quilt on a bed, first
spritz the back of the quilt with water
or fabric sizing used for ironing. Place
on bed. Fold the sides down and place
books against the sides of the bed.
This will make the quilt dry hanging
down from the bed.
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RibbonwoodCottage!
DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
9

Department store is such a
treasure trove of memories
A mother and daughter team made wonderful miniatures to-
gether, but after her mum died Victoria wanted to create the
perfect tribute. She’s done just that with this wonderful store
BY SANDRA HARDING
i
t all started with a spur of the mo-
ment purchase when Victoria Sav-
age’s mum, Ann, brought home a
doll’s house armchair from a family
holiday.
In no time at all Ann had revamped
the armchair, covering it with lace, and
had added a matching cushion. “We
soon realised that this was a hobby that
we could both enjoy as mother and
daughter,” Victoria told us.
Her late mother always loved any-
thing crafty “from making our clothes
when we were small to sewing and
dressing fabric rabbits and even paint-
ing barge wear, as well as knitting and
card-making.”
Victoria added: “Rather annoyingly
she always achieved great results
at whatever she turned her hand to
including, you’ve guessed it, making
doll’s house miniatures.”
In the 1990s the mother and daugh-
ter team decided to start selling their
pieces and A&R Miniatures was born.
A&R, named after the initials of Ann
and her husband Roy, attended their
first fair at Lee Valley. The show was
a success and Ann couldn’t believe
that someone actually wanted to buy
something she had made.
Needless to say her confidence
grew, as did her miniature range, and
she went on to exhibit regularly at both
Miniatura and Kensington. Inspiration
came mostly from the late Victorian
and Edwardian periods while trips
to any of the country’s open air living
10 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
SHOP AROUND
museums would have Ann and Victoria
return brimming with ideas.
Ann absolutely loved to work with
fabric and antique lace and her
adorned shop counters, along with
ladies underwear and accoutrements,
became her speciality. Her customer
base at the fairs continued to grow with
her work going to American collectors,
the Puppenhaus museum in Basel and,
more closer to home, to Kristin Bay-
bars’ shop in Gospel Oak, London.
Roll forward several years, and three
adored grandsons later, on to 2017
when the family received the devas-
tating news that Ann had cancer and,
after a brief battle, sadly died.
Despite the overwhelming heart-
ache it was through this bereavement
that Webbs ladies department store
came about. This welcome distraction
was the ideal opportunity to display
some of Victoria’s late mother’s won-
derful work.
The Hague shop had been pur-
chased for Victoria by her mother and
with the help of Dolls House Grand De-
signs it was transformed into Webbs.
With its unique shop front and mock
elevator inside she couldn’t wait to fill
it with all the finery any woman could
want. The ground floor is bright and
elegant and is full of hats, gloves, hand-
bags, perfume and jewellery.
No store would be complete without
a haberdashery department which is
currently situated on the first floor. This
room has a material bin, fabric draped
mannequin and a well-stocked wall
unit, all by A&R Miniatures. Glimpse to
the back and you will see a customer
leaving the elevator. The neighbour-
ing room is a fitting room where the
seamstress is making alterations to a
bespoke gown.
Victoria knew immediately that she
needed to have an underwear de-
partment as she had several fabulous
corsets and a very pretty petticoat, all
made by her mother, that needed to
be on show. This larger department is
situated on the top floor.
Finally a small shoe department
sits on the mezzanine area filled with
fabulous miniature shoes.
As you can see from the photos
the store displays a plethora of treas-
 SHOP AROUND
ures, in particular pieces of dressed
furniture that Victoria and her mother
worked on together that now take
pride of place. Victoria continues to
collect from other talented artisans to
complete the look as well as occasion-
ally making some pieces herself.
Funnily, neither Ann nor Victoria
ever owned a doll’s house. Instead they
much preferred shops with the abil-
ity to be able to change the window
displays and alter the layout inside just
by moving the counters around.
Webbs continues to bring Victoria
such joy and she really enjoys shar-
ing it with other miniature enthusiasts.
It has sparked up conversations with
people from all over the globe and it’s
even allowed Victoria to reminisce with
A&R customers who remember her
late mother’s stand with great fond-
ness.
I am sure you will agree that Webbs
is a fitting tribute and one that Vic-
toria’s late mother Ann would have
greatly approved of.
DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
11
 MINI MAKES

Hang tiny birdhouses

on a pretty little shelf
Kris shows you how to make pretty little birdhouses out of
card, and then create a shelf for a lovely decorative effect

BY KRIS COMPAS

i
saw this cute shelf in a catalogue
some time ago. I especially liked
the little birdhouses that hang from
the pegs. Let’s make it in twelfth
scale! I will walk you through and you
can make them your own.
Step 2. From the 3/4” wide mount
board strip, cut a piece that is 2 15/16”
long; this is the back.
Step 3. Also from the 3/4” wide mount
board strip, cut 2 pieces 3 3/8” long;
these are the top of the shelf.

Step 4. From the 3/16” wide mount

board strip, cut a piece to 2 15/16” Step 7. Use my friend Nancy’s beauti-
long. ful patterns to cut 4 shelf brackets from
a piece of mount board.
Step 5. From the 1/8” wide mount
board strip, cut a piece to 2 15/16”
long.

Step 1. Cut strips of mount board to
these sizes:
12” long and 3/4” wide.
4” long 3/16” wide.
4” long and 1/8” wide.
Step 6. Now copy your roof and bird-
house patterns onto card stock. The
brackets are patterns to trace onto
mount board. The birdhouse bases will
be traced onto mount board, too.

You will need Pattern

n Mount/mat board
n Craft knife
n Tacky or yellow wood glue
n Ruler
n Pencil
n Stylus tool
n Toothpicks
n Small drill
n 220 grit sand paper
n 1/16” hole punches
n Acrylic paint
n Paint brush
n Varnish
n 3/16” dowel

12 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

 MINI MAKES

Step 8. Glue the two brackets together

so that they are double thick. Now, you
have your two brackets for the shelf
you will make.

Step 12. Next, glue the brackets onto Step 15. Start gluing your strips onto
the ends of the panelled assembly you the shelf. You are using the card stock
just made. strips just like veneer is used. I did not
cover the back of the shelf, just the two
short sides and the front.
Step 9. On the back (2 15/16” x 3/4”)
mark a centre and from there measure
and mark lines 3/16” apart.

Step 10. Use a stylus tool to create

grooves in the mount board over the
lines you drew. This will look similar to
panelling when we are finished.
Step 13. Get the two pieces of mount
board that measure 3 3/8” x 3/4”.
Glue these two strips together to Step 16. Glue the card stock strips
make the bracket a double thickness. onto the edges of the brackets.

Step 17. The raw cut edges of the

brackets have been covered and they
look nice now.

Step 11. Glue the 3/16” wide strip of

mount board at the top of the panel-
ling and glue the 1/8” wide strip at the
bottom.
Step 14. Next, cut some strips of card
stock to about 1/8” wide. These strips
will cover the cut edges of the top shelf
as well as the brackets. Usually I just
cut these by eye because the width is Step 18. Centre the top shelf over the
just under 1/8”, but you do it how you brackets, keep the backs even and
like. glue on the top shelf.

DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

13

Step 19. These toothpicks are decora-
tive, you can use regular toothpicks,
just round off the tips. Cut three and
sand down the ends.
Step 20. Drill three holes in the 1/8”
wide piece of mount board.
Step 21. Mark the centre and drill two
other holes 3/4” from the centre.
Step 22. Glue the pegs into the holes.
Let dry, paint two coats. Let dry.
Step 23. You can sand the shelf lightly
with 220 grit sand paper and apply a
final coat of paint for a smoother finish.
Step 24. Copy Nancy’s patterns onto
card stock. Score on the lines before
you cut out the birdhouses. Cut out the
birdhouses.
Step 25. I used a 1/8” and a 1/16” hole
punch to punch the holes into the front
of the birdhouses for the perch and
door.
14 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
MINI MAKES
Step 26. Next, fold the birdhouses and
glue.
Step 27. I have the three houses, the
bases are cut from mount board.
Step 28. Sand a toothpick down to fit
into the 1/16” hole in the front.
Step 29. Paint the birdhouses in col-
ours of choice.
Step 30. Glue the bodies of the bird-
houses onto the mount board bases.
Step 31. Paint the roof grey and thread
a piece of string through the peak.
Step 32. Let’s age the shelf. I mixed
brown acrylic paint with a lot of water
and used an stiff brush to apply and a
soft brush to move the mix around.
Step 33. If you get too much dirty wash
on your shelf spritz water on it before
the mix dries and wipe the mix off. You
can start over.
Step 34. Paint the perch for your bird-
houses.
Step 35. Glue the perches into the
1/16” diameter holes.
Step 36. Glue the roofs on so they are
centred.
Step 37. I put a 3/16” dowel on my
roof, then tied the bow with string. This
helps make the hanging loops all the
same size.
Hang them in a row!
 ANTIQUE DOLLS
HOUSE & DOLL
FAIRS 2021
COBHAM VILLAGE HALL
Lushington Drive, Cobham,
Surrey KT11 2LU
25th JULY
5th SEPTEMBER
28th NOVEMBER
Open from 10am to 4pm. Refreshments available.

˜ e above fairs are booked but please check nearer the

time to make sure that they are still taking place.

WENDY’S WORLD
01895 834348
wendyhobday@wendysworld.co.uk

www.wendysworldfairs.co.uk

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15

us n s o e ff ir ith
her ini ture roo s
Susan Freeman uses her interior design background to make
her warm and sweet twelfth scale size rooms even more
special. Here she tells us about her life in the hobby
BY SUSAN FREEMAN
i
first became interested in minia-
tures as a young girl. A childhood
friend of mine had a lovely vintage
two storey colonial doll’s house
with all the furnishings. The two of us
spent many hours playing with it.
Soon after, my mother purchased
some vintage upholstered doll’s house
furniture for me at an estate sale.
Although I loved and treasured those
pieces, my heart was with horses and
I spent all my free time riding in horse
shows. As a consequence, my love for
miniatures took a back seat until later
in life.
I picked up the hobby once again
just a few short years ago. It became
a relaxing pleasure for me and also
for my mum that we engaged in while
assisting my father through the final
stages of Alzheimer’s. For brief peri-
ods of time we could lose ourselves
in a miniature world and escape the
tragic world of dementia.
I would also like to add that I was
completely enchanted by Colleen
Moore’s doll’s house. I first saw it as
a young girl on a trip to the Science
and Industry Museum in Chicago. I
learned back then, that the fascination
with doll’s houses is not limited to only
the very young, but lives in our hearts
as adults too.
I studied art history in college and
later pursued coursework at the New
York School of Interior Design. I have
worked as a professional interior de-
signer, which has translated well into
16 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
MY MINI WORLD
the world of miniatures.
I am currently an author of two
blogs, Ash Tree Cottage and a spe-
cial one just for miniatures called Ash
Tree Cottage Dollhouse Minis. I enjoy
featuring not only my own miniatures
on this mini blog, but also the work of
other miniaturists. I have an ever-grow-
ing group of friends devoted to minia-
tures, and it’s a pleasure knowing them
and sharing their talents with others.
I am married and do not have
children, so it is only my husband and
myself. My husband heartily approves
of my hobby and always takes the time
to assist me with projects if asked.
My parents were both very creative
and had me late in their lives. My mum
loved to decorate and while my dad
was a very successful executive of an
international and domestic business,
he had the heart of an architect.
Every home we lived in was trans-
formed by their joint talents. As their
only child, I participated in their pro-
jects and loved every minute watch-
ing magic unfold when building an
addition or recreating some beautiful
room that we saw on our many travels
around the country and in Europe.
They instilled the love of creativity in
me and encouraged my young efforts.
I have cultivated that passion in my
own home and now in my miniatures
as well. It allows me to create a world
of my own making. For example, when
curating my doll’s house nursery, I im-
agined the kind of setting I would want
for my own child.
Although I have a doll’s house just
waiting to be constructed, I have been
collecting miniatures and decorating
“rooms” on my bookshelf. My first pro-
ject was a shabby chic type of room
that has a small cottage look about it.
It is a single room that includes a cosy
Left: This twelfth scale kitchen dresser is
filled with tiny treasures.
Above: White wicker furniture brings a fun
cottage feel to a room.
Above right: A cosy living room decorated
in pink and green.
Right: The kitchen is fresh and fun.
MINI MAKES

DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

17
18 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

Top far left: This over-stuffed chair is a
comfy place to relax and read.
Top: Tiny scones are going into the
old-fashioned oven.
Left and above The nursery was decorated
as Susan would like for her own child.
MY MINI WORLD
‘ My love affair with decorating miniature
rooms has taken a turn now and has
entered the English cottage phase
sitting area around a fireplace and a
little kitchen.
I chose all pastels of predominately
soft pinks and greens as its back-
ground. I lined a focus wall in pink and
white striped paper which is actually
scrapbooking paper. I then collected
every detail I could find (within budg-
et) to give the area a cosy, busy, homey
type of look.
I made little books for the book
stack when I could not find just what
I wanted. I made tiny aprons to hang
from the peg shelf in the kitchen. The
sink skirt and all the curtains were
handmade by myself. The same
techniques were used in the miniature
nursery. My pride in that room is the
miniature window seat and the minia-
‘
ture quilt hanging on the wall.
As a consequence of curating, I
purchase and make whatever it is I
dream up to create the effect I desire.
I hunt through eBay, Etsy, and numer-
ous miniature resources to find just the
right piece for the right place.
My love affair with decorating min-
iature rooms has taken a turn now and
has entered the English cottage phase,
where the colours are jewel toned
and the reflection is more vintage. I
also have plans for a miniature potting
shed. I have a full size potting shed in
my side garden and would like to have
a miniature one inside that full size
shed. I know I will have great fun col-
lecting and arranging a potting bench
and all that goes with it.
DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
19
 HOUSE PROUD
It’s time for tea in Gill’s
inspired wonderland
When Gill was persuaded to snap up another thatched
cottage she knew it had to be a tea room, and Alice was
pointing the way
BY GILL BRIGHTWELL
i
was already the proud owner
of one Little Homes of England
thatched cottage when my hus-
band, Hugh, spotted a smaller,
second-hand cottage on Karon Cun-
ningham’s stand at Miniatura. It didn’t
take too much persuading on his part
for me to want to snap it up.
I knew immediately that I wanted a
tea room, in a relatively modern style,
and then for some unknown reason an
Alice theme seemed to be the way to
go. I had met another collector online
and she was selling the Chris Sparrow
painting of The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
(above the fireplace) and at a later
20 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
stage, the Veronique Cornish umbrella
stand, both of which I purchased.
I had seen a grandfather clock with
the face painted to reflect the Alice sto-
ries and I asked Keith Bougourd (Small
Time Miniatures) if he could make a
shelf clock in similar style. He said
he would and then asked if he could
do something quirky and how quirky
would I be happy with. The finished
clock is as you see and I totally love
it. It’s not at all like any of Keith’s work
but it’s perfect for me.
The remainder of the pieces were
collected over time. The teapots
(except the little white one) were all
from Sally Meekin as were the painted
wooden Alice and White Rabbit out-
side. The Alice legs were a precious
gift from Veronique on the bottom shelf
of the dresser.
At one table Mavis sits and waits for
her friend Marjorie to arrive. They’re
having afternoon tea (prepared by
Carol Cook). At the next table is Ar-
thur, a bit of a man for the ladies. He
has jammy heart biscuits and Chesh-
ire Cat shortbread, also by Carol
Cook. Mavis is a Julie Campbell crea-
tion whilst Arthur was made by Jain
Squires, Giddy Kipper. On the opening
wall is an Alice plate commissioned
from Jack Cashmere (Cashmere Col-
lectibles) by my friend in Syracuse,
New York, as a Christmas gift, and a
White Rabbit by Julie Campbell.
Upstairs baskets are for sale. When
I was in my teens I did a basketry
MINI MAKES

DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

21
 FEATURE

course and have loved baskets ever

since. Meeting Zara Thomson-Ribeaud
at Kensington I was in awe of her tiny,
perfect baskets and the obsession
began. I now have many of her baskets
in my houses.
Zara introduced me to the work of
Francine Remy-Coyone and I have
several of her pieces and several from
Lidi Stroud (Basketcase Miniatures) in
Australia and I love their work too. Un-
fortunately I only have one of Brandaen
Jones’ but give me time! Squint, the
furry cat was from Annie Willis of Fine
Designs. The other cats are not named
but the one tucked up in a blanket is
David Ward’s and the remainder are
Sarah Hendry.

22 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

 Dollhouse Land 1:12 Scale Collectible Miniatures
by Agnes Horvath

MGM FAIRS Painted furniture, floral

and garden miniatures
by artisan, Laura Crain

Sunday 15 August 2021

Sculptured realistic food.
Westpoint Conference Centre, Westpoint, Reproduction vintage furniture
Clyst St Mary, EXETER, EX5 1DJ and everyday objects.
Plus the new Pac-Pen tool, a must
for all polymer clay artists.
Sunday 5 September 2021
T: 001 949 496 9841
Members Pavilion, County Showground, E: info@agneshorvath.co.uk
E: LauraCrain2@aol.com
www.agneshorvath.co.uk
Weston Road, STAFFORD, ST18 0BD F: Facebook.com/Dollhouse-Land

Sunday 10 October 2021

ETSY
Lyndhurst Community Centre, Main Car Park,
LYNDHURST, Hants, SO43 7NY

Saturday 23 October 2021 SHOP DIRECTORY

The Shoreham Centre, 2 Pond Road,
SHOREHAM BY SEA, West Sussex, BN43 5WY For more miniatures, see our
Etsy Directory on page 36.
If you have your own Etsy shop and would like
to be included in the directory,
Covid Secure Precautions Remain In Place At All Shows
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DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

23
 OPEN HOUSE
ts ni ent h
ui t for si e o r
At five-foot long and four foot high this amazing mansion is
teeming with colourful life, and its owner doesn’t worry about
her characters fitting into period style
BY LAURA QUIGGAN
S
ome people love ‘em,
some people hate
‘em,” said Stroud-
based miniaturist Pat
Pinnell. “Me - I just adore
them.” She was referring to
her collection of dolls, which
is quite impressive to say the
least. As Pat rightly pointed out, they
seem to make her houses throb with
life.
Pat has 17 houses, so you can imag-
ine how many dolls greeted us when
we visited her a while ago to be the
subject of our main feature.
Although she insisted the mansion
is her last property, this is said with
tongue placed firmly in cheek - we all
know that will-power is not a strong
point among those who love this hobby
as much as Pat does.
But naturally if this was going to be
the last addition to the Pinnell empire
it would need to be a worthy finale -
large enough to house an aristocrat in
a National Trust type of building.
With a vision in mind Pat dusted off
a stool and a piece of board to work on
and set about constructing her man-
sion out of plywood, right in the middle
of her kitchen. Using only a guide
book from Norfolk’s Blickling Hall with
its spectacular long gallery, superb
library and fine collections of furniture,
pictures and tapestries, she literally
‘made it up’ as she went along.
“I don’t like all that careful measur-
ing,” said Pat, who once did a car-
24 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
pentry course back in the
Sixties.
Pat is what you might
describe as ‘a determined
woman’. Her trusted builder
occasionally offered solu-
tions and ideas, but apart
from that Pat is a pretty
independent miniaturist. After four
months of sawing, sticking and paint-
ing, ‘Abbots Leigh’ was built.
At five-foot long, four foot high and
one-and-a-half foot deep the mansion
fitted the bill - and Pat’s sideboard,
exactly as planned. Something that
big would be too heavy and clumsy to
move as one piece, but Pat had already
considered this fact and constructed it
to come apart in four layers.
“My cleaners regularly fill their
Dyson with sawdust when they do my
dining room,” joked Pat.
Such a grand Jacobean mansion de-
served to be filled with the best things.
Having gleaned a wealth of miniatures
experience through her other 16
houses, Pat felt she knew exactly who
she was going to go to in order to buy
‘superior quality’.
“Peter Mattinson has always been
my hero,” explained Pat, “he once said
that in his work, anything he could not
make well himself he obtained from
craftsmen who produced the best in
that line.”
Above: Upstairs in the spice room the house-
keeper prepares the day’s provisions.
 OPEN HOUSE
Above: To enhance the grand exterior
of her building, Pat has used plaster
details of Green Men in three designs.
Following his example, Abbots
Leigh has quite a roll call of quality;
Sue Cooke for flagstones and tiled
floors, Pear Tree Miniatures for hand
carved furniture, Sussex Crafts for
inglenook fireplace and metal acces-
sories, Tony Knott for pewterwork, Tom
Burchmore for the linen-fold panel-
ling, and Paul Wells for his embossed
brickwork sheets. You might also
recognise The Little Homes of England
chimneys, which were the icing on the
cake - or should that be roof? Sadly, not
all of those names are still producing
miniatures now.
Although Pat didn’t try to create this
house as an exact historical replica,
as a published author of two history
books, one of whichis award-winning,
her level of knowledge and interest in
the subject has made a pretty convinc-
ing undertaking. Tudor seems to be
favourite, with Pat assembling her own
scrapbooks on the period. In fact it
was the Tudor period that introduced
her into the doll’s house hobby in the
first place.
During an active membership of the
W.I in the late Nineties, Pat took part in
a competition to make an Easter bon-
DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
25
 FEATURE

26 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

 OPEN HOUSE

Above left: Proud new mother looks on at
her baby.
Left: How many other houses can claim to
have received a visit from Elizabeth I? The
richness of fabrics on these dolls really add
to their importance.
Above: village musicians warm up for to-
night’s performance with a new dance.
net. This involved making a small-scale
Tudor house and incorporating it into a
bonnet - except that Pat got so carried
away with the house, putting in stairs
and so on that it never quite made it
to the hat stage. She used to be an
active member of a club where shar-
ing knowledge and skills are the very
fabric of the group; this was where a
colleague made her window frames,
for the right look and appeal of the doll
rather than worrying over what part of
the period their costume fits applies to.
“People were slow to catch up with
fashion in villages,” she says, with a
wry smile.
In the kitchen a scullery maid hears
the latest gossip when the milkmaid
brings in the day’s milk. While the
steward’s pretty daughter pleads with
her father to allow her to keep a hun-
gry, stray dog.
Above the kitchen is the small spice
room with a trap door and lowering
basket. Here the housekeeper is sort-
ing out the spices and provisions for
the day. Next door in a small bedroom,
a new mother gazes at her baby in the
cradle. At the centre of the house is the
main hall.
“How I wish I could have made it
twice as wide,” admitted Pat, “but the
house fits exactly on my sideboard so
there was no more room for the no-
good son to seduce the scullery maid.”
Each newel post up the rather grand
staircase has a carved ‘worthy’ mount-
ed upon it - much the same as the
real Blickling Hall staircase in Norfolk.
Pat bought hers quite cheaply at the
Gloucester Museum and varnished the
pewter pieces dark brown to resemble
carved wood. In the ground floor din-
ing room two ladies of the house chat
while a boy trains his puppy’s eye for
the food.

‘ ‘
as these could not be bought to fit
elsewhere.
Once the house was built and deco-
How I wish I could have made it twice as wide,”
rated, then came Pat’s favourite bit. For admitted Pat, “but the house fits exactly on my
the next three Minatura visits she em-
barked on the great doll hunt. Pat went sideboard so there was no more room
DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
27
28 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
 OPEN HOUSE
Left: Behind closed doors - Pat’s purpose
built Manor is a feast of colour and activity.
Below far left: One of Pat’s favourite pieces
is this carved cabinet by Pear Tree Minia-
tures.
Below left: Carved newel posts on the main
staircase and Worthies - which are actually
pewter, painted to look like wood.
Right: Gossip exchanges between the scul-
lery girl and the milkmaid.
Below right: Chimney pots on the roofs of
great mansions should reflect the nature of
the building, as if symbols of status.Viewed
from the ground the pots may not seem all
that big, but in reality period pots were about
seven foot high, and a minimum of three foot.
These pots show an ornate twisting pattern
on the shaft and a decorative crown. Origi-
nally they would have been made by local
craftsmen and would have included inscrip-
tions, such as a message relevant to the times
or signature.

Above, in the great chamber, two

groups of dolls vie for attention. The
owner of the estate and his wife ex-
amine their new livery cupboard and
a group of architects and their young
apprentice discuss the next building
project with the estate baliff.
The long gallery runs above all of
these rooms where preparations are
underway to ‘God Bless the Queen’
who is on one of her ‘progresses’
around her realm.
“I had to manipulate time a little as
Elizabeth I died in 1603, so I decided
she should visit this house in 1600”
commented Pat.
The village musicians are trying out the house would seem,” said Pat, and
a new dance while the gentlefolk also she’s absolutely right.
rehearse, surrounded by courtiers and Let’s not forget the little things in the
the heir of the house, accompanied by layout of a house either. Animals would
his wife. While in a small tower room, have featured prominently at this time,
two young lads are hoping they will be particularly cats and dogs, which are
allowed to play their lutes during the included in at least six of Pat’s rooms
festivities. - not including dinner strung up in
Dolls are not simply a representation the kitchen. Then there’s the rich-
of people to fill a space in the house, ness and quantity of oil paintings and
Pat uses them to tell stories and groups tapestries used to decorate the walls.
the dolls into scenes, connected with Heraldic arms emphasise the status of
the daily running of the house. This the household, silverware shows their
way, and because there are so many wealth, books, music, banquets and
of them, they really do work for their a full household of guests (including
keep. Queen Elizabeth) make this a most
“Without all these dolls, how lifeless notable residence.

DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

29
 HOUSE PROUD

Rebecca’s pub pays tribute

The Master Swordsman Pub and Inn brought tears to the eyes of her
father when she unveiled it for the first time at the launch of her museum

BY SANDRA HARDING

I
t’s always exciting when someone
opens a new store so we were
happy to feature My Miniature
World in Malta, back in issue 329 (Feb-
ruary 2020).
At the time I mentioned that we
hoped to show you some of the indi-
vidual houses in the store and muse-
um, owned by Rebecca Micallef, and
here is one of them.
This particular building has fond
memories for Rebecca as it was
designed as a tribute to her father,
Maestro Daniel Sammut — he has that
title as he happens to be a real master
swordsman. Wow! It was built in time
for the launch of My Miniature World
and her father saw it complete for the
first time at the museum launch, which
made him immensely proud and
brought tears to his eyes.
On the ground floor is the pub with
various weapons, posters, and portraits
of Rebecca’s dad on the walls, which
she printed on canvas. The people
were all made by Rebecca’s friend and
doll maker, Beverley Senatore, and
they all have names and characters to
suit the scene.
There is Sir Edwin Berrett, who
happens to be the son of the owner,
Larkin Royston, the handsome bar
tender, and Susanna the barmaid

30 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

 HOUSE PROUD

e to her swordsman father

DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

31
 HOUSE PROUD

32 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

 HOUSE PROUD

‘
‘ The inn is quite a museum itself, as the antique armour, swords,
weapons and paintings all have a story to tell.

DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

33

serving the drinks. Susanna was
inspired by an 1882 painting called A
Bar at the Folies-Bergere, by Edouard
Manet, and the lady in the painting was
actually called Suzon. The bar area
was all handmade by Rebecca, built
from scratch to fit perfectly under the
staircase, while her father painted the
armour and weapons in the room.
Mrs Charlotte Perkins and her
husband are spending a few days in
the guest room. Mrs Perkins has just
arrived after a shopping spree at Miss
Leah’s Boutique and is waiting patiently
for her husband who is on business in
Regent Street. This is a very comfort-
able room with its own private bath-
room.
The inn is quite a museum itself, as
the antique armour, swords, weapons
and paintings all have a story to tell.
In the Victorian parlour are Madame
Arabella Barrett, the proprietor of the
Master Swordsman Pub and Inn. She
took over the business from her late
husband, who happened to be a Mas-
ter swordsman himself.
34 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
HOUSE PROUD
Accompanying Madam Barrett is This is a fascinating story, and I hope
Mister Fletcher Oaks who looks after to show you more of Rebecca’s’ crea-
the estate and business affairs for tions later.
the lady. Madame Arabella loves her
parlour and enjoys having her busi-
ness meetings here over a sherry
and pastries. This room is always very
welcoming and elegant, with a warm
fire and a well-stocked library. Dur-
ing rainy days the guests can enjoy
a game of chess or just relax whilst
listening to the phonograph playing or
reading a book. Guests can also enjoy
their tea and meals on the roof terrace
that boasts exceptional views. You can use the painting that
Coming back to the fascinating fact inspired Rebecaa’s pub in your
that Rebecca’s dad is a master swords- house. See Paint by Numbers on
man, which is amazing, it turns out that P59, and the Cutouts on P35.the
Rebecca is no mean swordswoman following contact info.
herself. As a young girl and woman
she had quite a reputation in the world
of fencing and has won several com-
petitions. She tells me that she grew up
little links:
My Miniature World, 52, Ghaguza Street,
with the same discipline, dedication Marsaskala, MSK 1312, Malta.
and love for the sword as her father, tel: (+356) 77761860
and it’s all thanks to Daniel that sword email: myminiatureworld.mt@gmail.com
blog: www.myminiatureworld.blogspot.com
fighting runs through her veins.
From our Birth certificates Cheques

house to

This page may be photocopied.

your house Death certificates
Deed of Grave - and payment letter

Insurance policy

Insurance policy
THE CUTOUTS PAGE

Insurance payment book

Marriage certificate Passport and pages

Envelope for Will

Box files

Lever-arch files

Document folders

Fold
Fold

Glue

Fold

Glue

Please remember
all Cutouts are
copyright and are
only for your own
personal use.
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CrissCrossMiniatures THINGS ONLINE
1/12th scale handmade pictures, screens & period furniture
 CrissCrossMiniatures.etsy.com

36 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD


Quick and easy
A fish in a display case is a great addition to a scene. Sandra makes one in no time
S
often piece of Fimo and roll to
an oblong fish shape, slightly
flattening out the tail fin to fan
shape. After trial and error, I found
that working with the fish flat was
the best way to keep the shape.
The topside of the fish needs to be
rounded, the back does not. Do this
on a non-stick work surface (tile
maybe). Make a small indentation
for the eye socket. My fish are about
2” long.
Take a tiny piece of Fimo, and cre-
ate the top and bottom fins. Gently
add on to the main body using a
cocktail stick to join them to the
body, just easing away from the work
surface so it doesn’t stick to the tile.
You will need
n Craft sticks, or stiff card for
frame (or small Reutter box
as an alternative)
n Clear sheet of plastic for
front (clear wrapping found
on birthday cards will work).
White Fimo. (I made one fish
from Das, but I prefer Fimo
as it’s smoother and pliable
for longer).
n Side on picture of fish
n Acrylic paints (cheap ones
are fine for this project)
n Tiny stones (real fish tank
size), shells, sand, grit
n Pack of fish tank grass
n Clear nail varnish
n Blue, thinner card for
backdrop OR picture of wa-
ter if needed.
n Glue, tweezers, scissors,
cocktail stick or similar
MINI MAKES
BY SANDRA HARDING
Shape and add the side fin, keeping
it fairly flat against the body. Check
with your fish picture as you go.
Very gently score in the ribs in
the fins, keeping the shape. Bake
the fish in oven as instructions.
Depending on the size of your
fish, make a case using either craft
sticks or stiff card (see picture).
Glue on a thinner card for the back-
drop and let it dry. Paint the frame
if required. I used brown acrylic on
card, and one I painted blue on the
inside. Craft sticks look good with
just a light stain. Shoe polish would
work. My “case is 1.25” by 2.25 “.
Using your fish picture as guid-
ance, paint the fish starting with a
white or pale grey, and adding dark-
er colour as it dries. I just added a
little mottled effect, using black and
grey. Put a tiny black blob of black
paint for the eye. (If you have very
tiny googly eyes in stock, then they
look good; see my original fish) This
one, by the way, I created in two
parts in a small Reutter box. The fish
and some stones etc I glued in the
bottom part of the box, and the rest
were in the “side” of the front cover.
I added a little clear nail varnish to
get my fish a bit shinier; it’s your
choice (see picture).
Glue your background picture
(blue card or water picture) on the
inside back of the box, and glue
in any fish tank grass to go behind
the fish. I like it to all lay one way. I
added a few white acrylic bubbles
to my blue card.
Lay glue in the bottom of the box
and put in a layer of tiny stones,
shells etc. Add glue on top of the
stones, and glue in your fish, arrang-
ing the stones and grass behind to
look nice. Add further stones, shells
and wisps of grass in front of the
fish, until you are happy with it.
DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
37

How Lillian fell in love
ith o er festi
Lillian adores making miniatures and vows to keep on with
her “magical hobby” despite hand tremors. Here she takes
us through the creation of her wonderful Córdoba courtyard
i
saw a picture of a Spanish court-
yard and fell in love with the beauty
of all the flowers. I spent a month or
so researching Córdoba’s spring
patio festival and became intrigued
with all the colours and variety of
plants and trees. So, I stopped what
I was making and decided to try to
make my own courtyard.
It stands 24” tall x 28” wide x 20”
deep. The whole structure is scratch
made by me. Once I figured out how
it would piece together I used foam
board and plaster of Paris to give the
stucco look. The columns are made
of 3/4” dowelling and round wood
disks...I painted them with paint and
sand mixture for texture. The doors
and windows are made of balsa wood
by me. The hardest build for me was
the tile arches...which are made from
air dry clay. The learning curve was
they had a tendency to warp as they
dried...so it took several attempts to
get them right. The stairs were another
challenge...at first I wasn’t sure where I
wanted them...then once that decision
was made I had to decide on materi-
als. I went through foam board...balsa
wood...Styrofoam but the best result
came from cardboard.
The walkway is foam board with
printed vinyl tiles (I was trying to light-
en the weight) I wanted the courtyard
to have the pebble stone design look. I
hand drew a design then used Gallery
glass faux leading to outline the de-
sign. I then glued in coloured sand and
38 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
SCENE AROUND
BY LILLIAN MILLER
finished with a clear varathane spray to
hold it all in place.
Then came the decorations. I love
detail and talked with a woman born
and raised in Spain to make sure I
didn’t miss anything. I started with
downloading images of tile mosaic art
and Spanish plates. I glued the tile art
to cardboard and creased the individu-
al tiles in... then added clear polish for
a shiny look. I bought plate blanks and
glued each design on before adding
clear polish. I found two Spanish type
brooches at my local charity store and
bought a sword and metal mandolin to
hang on the wall.
The biggest challenge was all the
beautiful flowers. I bought fern pieces
and paper flowers on eBay. Then I
bought thimbles for the pots on the
wall… I painted them blue and added
moss and flowers individually. The
beautiful blue and white ceramic pots
were bought on Etsy and I handmade
each flower bush. I made the little
tables by the doors from Christmas
ornament hangers and napkin rings.
I handmade each flower box hanging
on the railings and bought the railings
in the UK.
I bought the white metal chairs and
tables from eBay and reworked a cou-
ple of chairs to make them different. I
made the hanging pots and wall pots.
I bought the fountain but handmade
the water trough. I bought the metal
gate from a local hobby shop but
painted and draped flowers over. The
resin people were all purchased from
the UK.
I hand made the centre courtyard
flower garden out of a disposable con-
tainer wrapped with air dry clay and
painted it with a paint/sand mixture to
give a cement look.
The Vespa in front is a Christmas
ornament that I couldn’t resist while
the religious icon on the left wall was
handmade by me. I downloaded the
image and handmade the small brick
roof and also made the religious can-
dles.
The man in armour and second
floor table were given to me and both
completed the Spanish look.
I have always had a fascination

with miniatures but as a child I didn’t
have a doll’s house. In the early 1980s
I bought a house to make but after
several moves, I didn’t have room for
it and ended up selling it unfinished. I
had many House of Miniature kits that
I saved for some unknown reason and
stored them away in the garage.
Fast forward to 2016 I was declut-
tering the garage and came across
the bins of my miniature kits. I decided
to try and build the kits; that lead to
making room boxes. I made a kitchen,
a dining room, a living room, a bath-
room, a baby’s room and then came
the man cave. Friends and family
talked me into entering it in our local
fair...and to my surprise I won the 2017
SCENE AROUND
Reserve Grand Champion. That put
a spark in me...and I decided to try a
room completely from scratch...that
developed into the 1880 western sa-
loon. Again, I was shocked to find out
I had won the 2018 Grand Champion
ribbon.
I was making a 1964 era teen girl’s
room box when I came across the
picture of Córdoba Spain. My brain
started putting grandiose ideas in my
head and the courtyard was born.
I adore making miniatures. It keeps
my brain and hands busy and out of
trouble… well most of the time. I would
love to continue the hobby but my
arthritis and hand tremors are getting
worse which makes it much more dif-
ficult. I’ll continue with what I can and
hope to inspire others in this magical
hobby.
About Lillian
“I’m a 72-year-old wife, mother,
grandmother and great-grand-
mother. I have been married to
my wonderful husband for 53
years. We live a comfortable life
in a small condo within a retire-
ment community. Now that our
children are all grown and on
their own, I find time to indulge
in frivolous fun hobbies like
miniatures.”
DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
39
 Miniature show
We might not be able to visit shows in person at the moment, but we can take
you round some of the beautiful miniatures shown at a past show
BY SUZIE JONES. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL PUFF

Paula Gilhooley
This spider orchid in a footed
vase is made with Japanese silk
fibre crepe paper and laser cut
in Paula’s exclusive design.

Photos show some of the exhibits at a

past Good Sam Show in San Jose,
California, which raises money for the
Plane Tree Health Library. The next show,
the annual 45th Show & Sell, is scheduled
for October 9 and 10, 2021.

Julia Stewart
Fanciful in Blue was created
with a hand-beaded silk couch,
and a flamingo with one of her
fabulous hats.

Jan Patrie
Jan makes guacamole in miniature
look like a feast. Her handmade Beth Freeman-Kane
creations add flavour to any Beth takes an absolute delight in nature and it shows here
kitchen scene. with her favourite animal, the meerkat, and in the birds that
keep him company for this scene.
Pete Acquisto
This lady’s vanity set, unicorn,
and bud vase will make a
sterling silver splash in any
bedroom.

Miyuki Nagashima
This Rocaille-style collector plate and Sèvres
vase were created by Miyuki using historical
details and colours.

40 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

wcase
Valeria Bonomi
Valeria leaves you breathless with
these high heel shoes and match-
ing purse in white leather with brass
metal orchids and leaves.

Gilbert Mena
This reproduction of Walter Takumi Takanashi
Heath Williams’ Blackberrying Takumi created this modern Japanese style cat room
in Kent required the tiniest and for her beautiful calico, including wall perches and
finest of brushes to complete. fish-themed furniture.

June Clinkscales
This hand-crafted Duchesse
daybed and footstool are
Vegas Airs dressed all in silk brocade.
Vegas Airs brings whimsy in style with
these dolls. Flamingo in a sink, and a
Valentine doll are a wonderful addition
to any fantasy scene.

Laura Crain
Laura takes us back to a previous era with this hand-
painted armoire, writing desk, and flower arrangement.
Dollhouse Land
by Laura Crain.
T: 001 949 496 9841
E: LauraCrain2@aol.com
F: Facebook.com/Dollhouse-Land

DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

41

A perfect pool patio
offers fun in the sun
Kristine Hanna has taken her mini garden to a new
level and the inspiring modern scene would look
right at home in an interior design magazine
BY DEB WEISSLER
S
ummer’s nearly here
and it’s time to enjoy
being outside. You
won’t find a better spot
than Kristine Hanna’s inviting
twelfth scale pool patio, com-
plete with lights and landscap-
ing.
As a modern-style miniaturist
and blogger, she wanted to create a
contemporary space with the strong
structural elements and clean lines that
define contemporary architecture, yet
present a space that was also warm
and inviting.
She was drawn to a split level patio
retreat, complete with swimming pool
and ample spaces for lounging and
entertainment. She liked the way this
multi-tiered design enabled viewers
to see the complete backyard space
without building a sprawling complex.
This also gave her the opportunity to
create defined lounging and dining
areas. It’s the ultimate backyard oasis!
The substantial asymmetrical stairs
help draw the eyes upward, from the
terrace below to the horizontal privacy
fence above. In between, the garden
planters placed at various heights
mimic the asymmetry and add colour
and architectural interest to the hard-
scaping.
To create this inviting backyard,
Kristine combined several pieces
she had received from Hobby Build-
ers Supply, and added items she had
stashed from her various custom doll’s
42 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
OUTDOOR LIVING
house projects. Together she
combined wood, MDF, plas-
ter, stone, acrylic, and lighting
into a multi-dimensional out-
door space that invites one to
linger and enjoy the warmth
of the day. So lets take a tour
while Kristine points out her
favourite features.
“I began with the construction of
the base. The stairs were the first thing
I put together. It was much easier to
make the second level fit the height of
the stairs, rather than adding on stairs
later and trying to get them to fit. The
deck base was made of 1/4” MDF and
cut on a table saw. I left the back of the
deck open so I could hide and access
the electrical wiring. I also framed in Above: An overall view of the gorgeous pool
a rectangular section for the pool to sit deck with the fence lights on. An intimate
down in. After the basic shape of the table to have summer meals.
deck was created, I started adding my Above far right: Another view of this stylish
planter boxes around the edges and modern miniature pool deck.
before I knew it, my original design
had doubled in size!” glued them down and then painted
To simulate deck boards, Kristine them a light grey.” Once dry, she used
used a roll of thin birch veneer cut into filler as grout.
strips with a laser cutter that she then A fence is always a desirable feature
cut to fit with a hand-held mitre tool. in a suburban landscape when air flow
She used a heavy book to hold the and privacy are desired. To create the
decking in place while the craft glue wooden fence, Kristine used a com-
dried. Before staining, she used a palm bination of strip wood and laser cut
sander to smooth the surface. basswood sheets. The fence row is one
“To visually separate the lower level long sheet, but Kristine cleverly used
of my outdoor space from the upper several vertical posts to give the im-
level, I made mini patio pavers, using pression of individual fence sections.
1/16” balsa wood, which was very soft She kept the spacing tight to keep the
and easy to hand-cut into squares. I focus on the deck.
 OUTDOOR LIVING

Kristine
ow
shows h e
she mad hts
lig
her deck 4
on P 7

DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

43
 OUTDOOR LIVING

Left: The twelfth scale deck table is full of

refreshment for a summer day get together.
Below: Take a midnight dip and relax on the
chaise lounge on a warm summer night.
Above: A blooming flower box.

To add a pop of colour, several

planter boxes add three-dimensional
textures around and through the vi-
gnette. Creating them was challenging
and time-consuming but the hard work
and effort really paid off.
“I decided to fill them with Styro-
foam and foam board to raise the level
of the soil beds.
“I found some fine faux turf at my
local hobby shop that looked remark-
ably like the real thing.
“After some trial and error, I found
the best way to apply was with spray
adhesive craft glue.
“The larger plants and bushes were
easier to place in the gardens; how-
ever, the loose flower fluff took a bit
more patience. I followed the same
technique I used with the soil and
sprayed layers of adhesive and flower
fluff together.
“I really love how they came to-
gether, I think they make the garden!
The bushes were also a great find!.
They are the tops of flower stems from
the craft store. Their tiny bead-like tops
look just like flowering plants, and they
cover a larger area too.”
Of course our eyes keep wander-
ing back to the swimming pool, and
Kristine admits this was her favourite
part of the project. She used bubbled

44 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

Above: A closer look at the working lights
along the deck steps. See the tutorial in this
issue on P74 to add lighting to your miniature
garden.

acrylic for a water-like texture and the

blue-green colour creates the illusion
of water, with or without the lights. The
lights reflecting off its surface give the
impression of water rippling in the
breeze.
Lighting makes any outdoor space
inviting after dark and Kristine wanted
an illuminated space without being
overpowered. “I highlighted important
areas of the deck, like the steps and
the fence. I love the way the bench at
the very back illuminates at night to
reveal this cosy little nook.
“The lighting fixtures themselves
are made from pretty simple objects. I
made the fence lights from rectangular
styrene tubing and the stair lights from
re-purposed drawer pulls. Since I used and vibrant material would warm the holidays and events take place out-
LED lights, I don’t have to worry about space. She made several seat cushions doors, and now I can’t wait to decorate
them getting too hot. The wiring is all from foam board, covering them with and add items as the seasons change.
hidden in the planters and under the a thin striped fabric for a comfy look. It would be easy to add a more sea-
deck.” Drinks and food set out offer a taste of sonal twist with new plants in the pot-
No outdoor space is complete with- summer all year round. ted planters or fallen leaves across the
out furniture and accessories. Kristine “I was genuinely surprised by how floor. From now on, I’m definitely going
liked the contemporary outdoor wick- much I enjoyed making and decorat- to try and add more outdoor spaces in
er furniture but felt a splash of colour ing an outdoor scene! So many great my future builds.

DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

45

Make pretty window
blinds for your room
Adding wooden blinds is a great way of dressing a
small window if you don’t want to use curtains.
Karen shows you how to make one
BY KAREN HRITZ
M
ake some mini custom made
window treatments for your
twelfth scale room. It’s little
touches like these that will
bring your doll’s house to life.
Step 1. For a standard single doll’s
house window, you will cut the 1/4” x
1/16” strip wood into 2 1/2” pieces. You
will need 20 pieces. Stack the pieces
and tape, then sand any that are not the
You will need
n Strip wood – 1/4” x 1/16” x 24”
n Channel strip – 1/4” x 1/8” x 5”
– cut into 2 – 2 1/2” pieces
n Strip wood – 3/16” x 3/16” x
approximately 6”
n Size 80 crochet thread
n White glue
n 1/16” drill bit or finger drill
n Sanding stick
n Toothpicks
n Floral wire
n Paint or varnish
46 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
MINI MAKES
same length as the others with a sand-
ing stick.
Step 2. Mark the spot where you will
drill the holes 1/8” from each end. If
you are using a finger drill, you will
need to re-tape the slats into smaller
stacks so you are drilling through only
4 or so at a time. Note: It is important
to keep the drill at a right angle to the
stack so that the holes are all aligned.
Step 3. Sand all the strips as well as
the 2 channel pieces, then finish with
stain, paint or varnish. I used 2 coats of
varnish on each side, sanding between
coats. Note: Keep a toothpick handy
to clear any paint or varnish out of the
holes before it dries.
Step 4. I call this step ‘making the lad-
der’. The photo shows a larger crochet
thread so it is easier to see. I tried this
with 4 different types of cord/threads
and ended up using the size 80 fine
thread so that the knots were small and
the ladder wasn’t stiff.
To tie the ladder, clamp or tape the
3/16” x 3/16” strip wood to the edge of
your worktable so that it is standing up.
Measure a piece of crochet thread
that is about 30” long. Tie the thread
around the strip wood with a double
knot, making sure that the ends are
equal lengths. Align the knot on the
corner of the strip wood.
Next, wrap the thread to the oppo-
site side of the strip wood and tie an-
other double knot, again making sure
the knot is on the corner. Continue to
do this, zigzagging back and forth until
you have at least 42 knots. Note: The
tighter the knots are, the more evenly
spaced the slats for the blinds will be.

Step 5. Slide the ladder off the strip
wood and cut in half. Make sure you
have 21 holes in each piece. Insert the
slats into the ladders as shown.
Step 6. Cut another piece of crochet
thread 25” long. Thread the crochet
thread through the holes, making sure
the loose ends are nice and even.
Step 7. Run a thin piece of floral wire
through each set of holes in order to
hold the slats vertical for the next step.
MINI MAKES
Step 8. The next step is to centre the
knots from the ladder on the under-
neath side of each of the slats and a
scant 1/8” from the hole. Secure with a
small spot of glue. I put a little pressure
on each slat as I glued them while the
glue dried.
Step 9. When the glue is dry, pull the
wire out. To finish the bottom of the
blinds, run a thin bead of glue on the
edges of one of the channel pieces.
Place the channel over the bottom slat,
enclosing the all thread ends. Let dry.
Step 10. To finish the top of the window
blinds, drill another hole at one end of
the top slat (between the original hole
and the corner). Pull the threads all the
way up so that all the slats are closed.
Now run the two thread ends through
the new hole.
This step creates the cord that will
raise and lower the blinds. Apply a thin
bead of glue along the edges of the
other channel and place on the top slat
being VERY CAREFUL not to catch any
of the threads with the glue, or they will
not be able to open and close.
While it dries, pull on the bottom slat
to expand the blinds, then clamp. This
action will let you know you don’t have
the threads caught in the glue.
Step 11. Glue the blinds to the top of
your window. With the blinds fully ex-
panded, tie the two cords together with
an overhand knot in 3 or 4 places.
Step 12. Add a valance or pelmet, if
you like!
TOPTIP
Make sure to keep the glue away
from the holes.
DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
47
 SHOP VISIT

shopvisit
WE CHAT TO SOME OF THE PEOPLE BEHIND OUR FAVOURITE SHOPS & STALLS
MINIS MADE
WITH LOVE

Pauline Millard’s shop began as a project to keep

her busy after a car accident. Eight years later she’s
still making minis and her shop is busier than ever

BY SANDRA HARDING

D
on’t for a moment be fooled
by the frontage of Pauline
Millard’s cute little shop in
North Yorkshire — it is enormous
inside as the photographs prove. A
real life tardis.
DHW readers have known Pauline
for many years through her regular
advertisements at the back of the
magazine. They, of course, help pro-
mote her business, but even Pauline
was surprised at the unusual effect of
the pandemic – she got even busier.
How nice to hear.
To help Pauline after a bad car
accident husband Dennis built her a
little shop at their home so that she
could keep busy whilst recovering.
After filling the shop (and her home)
with all the items she had made from
modelling clay, and everything else,
Pauline started the business in 2013.
Over the years she has built up a
very large and faithful customer base
who know that they will get the best
service and quality when they shop.
The shelves are full, and brimming
over with hundreds of thousands of
tiny, miniature items, from the hand-
crafted vegetables and fruits, made
by Pauline copying the real thing, to
hundreds of tins and packets of food.
There is a menagerie of animals,
houses full of furniture and enough
plants to fill any garden, plus any
accessory to add that personal touch
we all like.
Using her favourite modelling clay
Pauline also takes great delight in
creating her people of all ages and
eras, and they all have happy smiling
faces, which I love. It means that they
will make the customer smile when
they receive their “family member”
in the post.
Incidentally, Pauline has been
using the post a lot more than usual
during the pandemic and admits
that she sometimes works a fifteen
hour day, just to keep on top of the
orders. Many of her customers are
ordering the varied kits that are on
offer at Weaverthorpe Dolls House
Miniatures, and Pauline said that a
lot of people are using the time at
home to create something they may
not have thought of doing before the
pandemic.
Her customers all seem to think
that Weaverthorpe has been a life-
saver, and I can vouch for the fact
that having this hobby just can’t be
beaten. We all move into our fantasy
world where everything is just as it
should be.
I did ask Pauline if she had a doll’s

48 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD


house of her own (as well as the
dozens of beauties she has in the
shop) and she tells me that when
it’s finished it will have forty rooms.
Now, that’s worth waiting for, don’t
you think? Mind you she has been
building it for five years and the busi-
ness keeps getting in the way. I can’t
see business slowing down either
as Pauline has recently appeared on
Channel Five TV, talked on BBC Lo-
cal News, BBC Radio York and been
featured in several local newspapers.
There was even a large photograph
of one of her creations in The Tel-
egraph. Wow, suddenly Pauline (and
Weaverthorpe) is famous!
The shop is open every day of the
week including Sunday, but it’s by ap-
pointment only at the moment due to
SHOP VISIT
social distancing. If you want to book,
and you should, Pauline can be con-
tacted by telephone on 07811 115020
or by email at www.weaverthorpe-
miniatures.co.uk You can also find
her on eBay W27 DHM.
The shop address is 27, Main Rd,
Weaverthorpe, North Yorkshire, YO17
8EY, and Pauline is currently offer-
ing 10 per cent off when a customer
spends over £40. Now, if that doesn’t
tempt you, nothing will.
little links:
Weaverthorpe
27, Main Rd, Weaverthorpe,
North Yorkshire, YO17 8EY
tel: 07811 115020
web: www.weaverthorpe-miniatures.co.uk
DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
49
 HOUSE PROUD
Sun eventually shines
on Sunnyside Cottage
It took many years, and quite a few moves, but Karen
eventually lavishes some love on the Triang house she
rejected in her childhood
BY SANDRA HARDING
S
ometimes it may take a while for
children to get the doll’s house
passion, but all I can say is better
late than never.
Karen Lyons was about 6 or 7-years-
old when she had an introduction to
our miniature world when her par-
ents gave her this doll’s house for her
birthday. It was secondhand even then,
and her parents lovingly repaired it,
replacing windows and tidying it up in
general.
Karen remembers that the furniture
was a variety of 1970’s items, includ-
ing a block of wood painted white to
resemble a cooker, with four black
circles on top. In reality, although she
50 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
was intrigued, the house was eventu-
ally given to her sister who played with
it much more.
Around 1975 the house was taken
with the the family when they moved,
and it was kept as it was for a while
until about 1980, when Karen’s sister
decided to strip the house down and
redecorate. Unfortunately this was not
to be and the furniture was lost — now
I begin to feel really sorry for this poor
little house. Karen, however, could not
bear to part with it so it was stored at
her grandparent’s until Karen took it
home with her in 1994. Even when she
moved again, twice, the house was
taken with her so the little house knew
that it was wanted after all. It just had to
be patient.
For 15 years the little Triang slum-
bered gently whilst Karen waited for
inspiration and, much to its delight, in
2015 the little house was woken from
its slumber with a good clean and
brush up. The two doors were covered
HOUSE PROUD

DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

51
 HOUSE PROUD

‘
‘ I’ve made this sound
easy, but it wasn’t.

52 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

 HOUSE PROUD

in old glue and it all needed to be

sanded down and repainted.
A neat new roof was made using
A4 card, brown parcel paper, clear
varnish, and paint and glue. Pretty
wallpapers were printed from the
internet and the inside was painted
where paint should be, and the little
house was so happy. New lights and
electrics were soon added to show off
all of its new furniture and fittings and
lovely carpets, rugs and little curtain
nets arrived.
I’ve made this sound easy, but it
wasn’t, and it took some time to get it
all finished. The windows alone took
over a year to get them all as they are
vintage, and rare and expensive to buy
the replacements. Karen rather enjoys
shopping around for her hobby and
the lights were chosen very carefully,
checking prices and postage costs all
through the process and very wise too.
The same savvy approach was used to
buy the people in the house and most
of the furniture and accessories.
The children in the house are family
and friends and are gathering for a
birthday party for little Thomas. They
are looking forward to jelly and ice
cream and pass the parcel later. I love
this little house and I am so pleased
to see what Karen has done with it. It’s
now a real Sunnyside Cottage.

DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

53
 SMALL
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
WHERE READERS SHARE PROJECTS THEY’RE PROUD OF, HOWEVER SMALL. EMAIL YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO RICHARD@ASHDOWN.CO.UK
Danielle’s Georgian dress shop
I
can definitely blame Danielle Mc-
Conaghy’s mum, Denise, for this
article as it was Denise proudly
showing Danielle’s pretty little dress
shop on Facebook that caught my
attention.
It was a project that her daughter
completed at just sixteen as a nice
distraction from her studies, and fin-
ishing her Grade 10.
Danielle had always been inter-
54 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
BY SANDRA HARDING
ested in fashion history, and has a
particular interest in the beautiful
styles of the English and French
fashions of the 18th century. Although
she searched various sites she found
it hard to find the pieces she wanted
and decided to have a go at mak-
ing some of them herself. Danielle is
particularly pleased with the hooped
skirt and the 18th century stomach-
ers, and enjoyed filling up the draw-
ers with appropriate items, even
when the drawers are closed. That’s
dedication!
A busy shop crammed full of
unique little pieces was always in
Danielle’s mind as she didn’t want it
to look neat and tidy, and I think the
plan worked, as every corner and
spare space is full of interest. That’s
because mum and daughter love
going off on treasure hunts to antique

shops and doll’s house shops or, in
fact, anywhere that mini items can be
bought. A few of the items are kits
which were modified to suit and the
button display, perfume bottles and
hat pins Danielle made with beads.
Some of the hats were bought and
some Danielle made.
Danielle and her mum are regular
customers at a local tea shop called
Pippins Tea Company in Queen
Street, Toronto, and a delightfully silly
thing happened (that’s got your inter-
est hasn’t it?) Danielle asked the own-
er, Barb, if she would like to display
her shop in the tea shop window and
Barb agreed. February and March is
always a dull time in Toronto she said
and felt it would cheer the window up
and add interest.
Pippins is in a pedestrian precinct
and very soon passers by would stop,
admire, and often go in to chat about
the display and have a cup of tea and
a cake (the magic word).
Word spread and eventually a little
feature about it was put in their local
newspaper. Although Pippins doesn’t
sell miniatures the shop often features
work by local artists and Danielle
hopes that they will feature more of
her projects as she completes them.
A thank you from Pippins
“It has been an absolute pleas-
ure to have Danielle’s miniature
dress shop displayed in our
window. Faces are pressed up
against the glass on a daily
basis, discovering the min-
ute details. Teachers taking
their classes on field trips
make a point of walking past
our window so that the kids
can stop and admire and be
inspired. People coming in...
we think to shop, but to compli-
ment Danielle on her work. For
some, it even brought tears to
their eyes, bringing back fond
memories.”
SMALL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Kristine’s throwaway
fairy land
BY SANDRA HARDING
I
think I realised years ago that
most of us have a really soft
spot for fairies and anything
associated with them. Don’t you
agree? It was this soft spot that led
me to admire a magical creation
by Kristine Lanigan and I just had
to share it with you.
It was created when a group
of friends challenged each other
to make a miniature scene us-
ing everyday objects which are
easily found. An old, almost oval
vintage doll carrier box measur-
ing 11” high by 13” across and 5”
deep was purchased from a thrift
store, and Kristine began collect-
ing all kinds of bits and pieces
she needed to create her chosen
theme — a fairy cottage. There
are ceramic and resin figures
inside, along with small empty
boxes, various rocks and stones,
including raw amethyst crystals
and turquoise beads. Kristine tells
me that the most fun was creating
all the various tree barks, vines
and ivy, and trying to get them to
look real by using paint or stains.
The tiny house frame was
created from an old Christmas
display and she added flickering
tea lights behind the windows and
throughout the scene, although
they proved rather difficult to hide.
The lights outside were cleverly
covered in moss to soften the look
and create the magical effect that
Kristine wanted. They really do
bring the whole scene to life.
There is a beautiful angel
frame made by a friend and a
wire framed shoe adds character
and depth to the setting. Amongst
the dozens of objects I can see
so many pretty things: brooches,
pearls and many different beads,
as well flowers and lots of tiny
pieces of broken jewellery.
Kristine hopes to create a se-
ries of these cottages, some using
forest animals, and she feels the
possibilities are endless. This tal-
ented use of broken, tired, throw-
away objects is quite remarkable
and I now view my own collection
of “just in case things” in quite a
different light.
DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
55

Shernelle’s lilac room box
BY SANDRA HARDING
A
s much as I love this hobby,
and as long as I have been
doing it, there are many
times I still get confused. This is one
of those times and I blame Shernelle
Scott.
I had better explain I guess.
Shernelle sent me a photograph of
a lovely room which I popped into a
folder with a note for “later”. When
later arrived, as it does eventually, I
asked Shernelle about it and this is
the story.
Her friend Marion bought eight
room boxes which had formed part
of a large house on show in a mu-
seum somewhere. Shernelle bought
three from Marion, with another
following later if Shernelle could find
room, which would make up half of
that original house (I think). There
are two box sizes and Shernelle has
two short ones and one longer one
(are you keeping up, because one of
us has to).
56 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
SMALL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
I am told that the lilac room is the
only one of the three now currently
owned by Shernelle that’s ready to
show you, as the other two are still at
the “I’m not sure yet” stage. The size
of this box is 14.5” high x 14.5” deep
x 19” wide. Normally Shernelle uses
vintage items in her rooms and hous-
es; this one is fairly modern but looks
right, and that’s what’s important.
The maid is a Phoenix lady from
eBay and was previously employed
as housekeeper in another of
Shernelle’s houses, but she likes to
move around. The little girl was a
gorgeous Christmas gift from friend
Shirley and is happy reading a Date-
man’s book, in between eating the
chocolates on the table. Shernelle
tells me that her own grandmother
would keep sweets in a lovely old
cupboard unit, and pretended not to
notice when Shernelle helped her-
self – typical grandmother I reckon.
The lovely flower posy on the
table is from another house be-
cause it was the right colour, and the
glass dish is by friend Lynette. The
furniture is so well matched here
— friend Nicola also recovered the
sofa seat which blends in so well.
The chandelier was a purchase from
eBay, chosen for this room as the
ceiling height really needed a mean-
ingful drop. The little Chinese seat
was also an eBay purchase as were
the vintage pictures on the walls,
and the lovely revolving bookcase
and vase are also vintage.
Interestingly, the previous owner
had used wallpaper as flooring, and
as Shernelle had decided to keep
the room as original as possible, she
just added a printed canvas paper
rug on top. Very clever idea.
This is a lovely room and I look
forward to seeing what Shernelle
does with the rest of the rooms she
ends up with, however many there
are.
From our
house to
your house
THE CUTOUTS PAGE 2

PHOTO ARNO SMIT/ UNSPLASH

Please remember
all Cutouts are
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Potato crisps
BY RANDALL CASTLE
You will need
n Red bell pepper
n Knife
n Small bowl
S
nacks might be fatten-
ing in real life but you can
indulge yourself in minia-
ture. Here’s an easy way to make
crisps that you can display in a
bowl for your doll’s house resi-
dents.
Step 1. Remove the seeds from a
bell pepper.
Step 2. Let them dry on a towel
or tray.
Place them next to a torn open
bag to set the scene!
Painting by numbers
1. What are we hanging in our houses this month? A Bar at the Folies-
Bergère.
2. Well even if the title didn’t give it away, you’d still know it was a
French bar. Who’s it by? I can’t believe you don’t know that. It’s a fa-
mous work by Édouard Manet. It was his last major painting, completed a
year before he died. It was exhibited in 1882 at the Salon (the official annual
exhibition of the French Academy of Fine Arts).
3. And did it go down well at the Salon? Well, they would have been
amazed, not least because it seems to follow the traditional format of portrai-
ture but does not name its subject. Indeed, the barmaid appears as just an-
other item in the enticing array on offer in the foreground: wine, champagne,
peppermint liqueur and British Bass beer, with its iconic red triangle logo.
4. And the background is quite busy? Very. It shows a fashionable crowd
mingling on the balcony, entertained by musical and circus acts below. In
the top left, a trapeze artist in green boots adds to the excitement. This ani-
mated scene is a reflection in the large gold-framed mirror, which projects
it into the viewer’s own space.
5. Did he paint it in the bar? The Folies-Bergère, opened a decade or so
earlier, had become one of most popular music halls and places of en-
tertainment in Paris. Manet frequented it with friends and made sketches
on site. However, the final work was painted entirely in his studio, where a
barmaid named Suzon came to pose.
6. It’s quite a clever use of the mirror. You’ve put your finger on it. The
play of reflections emphasises the disorientating atmosphere of the bustling
Folies-Bergère. The barmaid stands before a mirror, but critics have ac-
cused Manet of ignorance of perspective and alleging various impossibili-
ties in the painting for years, ever since the earliest reviews were published.
A critic noted that Manet’s preliminary study showed her placed off to the
right, whereas in the finished canvas she is very much the centre of attention.
7. Where does it hang now? In the Courtauld Gallery in London.
8. What do they say? The French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty has
called a mirror “the instrument of a universal magic that changes things into
spectacles, spectacles into things, me into others, and others into me.”
9. What do we say? Given time to reflect, I’ve decided to start on a pub
scene with this at its centre (or maybe just off to the right).
Now turn to P35 to cut out the painting and hang it in your scene.
DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
59
 HOUSE PROUD

Beautiful farmhouse
in the rolling hills
Michele had always dreamed of finding the perfect
farmhouse and now, after a lot of kit-bashing, she
is the proud owner of warm, inviting Willows Farm

BY DEB WEISSLER

W
hen Michele Volonino saw
a new doll’s house on an Insta-
gram feed, she fell in love. But
was there room in her life for
another doll’s house?
“Another miniaturist had posted
that she received this farmhouse
doll’s house kit exclusive to Target
and I knew in a glance I had to have
it,” Michele recalls. “I just had to have
it but couldn’t justify buying another
doll’s house. I already owned several
doll’s houses and room boxes and
Christmas was just a few weeks away.
So I asked my son to buy it for me!”
Problem solved.
When the box arrived by mail,
Michele could barely contain her glee.
But when her son placed his wrapped
gifts among the others under the
Christmas tree, there was no box the
size of the doll’s house kit. She began
to panic. “What if he didn’t get it for
me? I couldn’t go out and buy one for
myself because they were already sold
out!” Happily, on Christmas morning,
the large box appeared and Michele
was ready to put her own spin on it the
moment it was unwrapped.
“Farmhouses are the hottest trend
here in the Nashville area,” Michele
explains. “I had been searching for
the perfect farmhouse in real life for
some time. I’m hoping that when we
downsize, I can find a beautiful farm-
house out in the countryside with all
the modern touches. Practically every
other week I’m walking through new
builds and have an endless supply of
fresh and trendy styles to inspire and
influence my miniature designs.”
As she began assembling her kit,
she was envisioning a beautiful farm-
house sited on the rolling hills of Gall-
atin. Despite urban sprawl from nearby
Nashville, Gallatin is still home to many
farms and is therefore still very much
a farming community. While creating
galvanised planters to be placed near
the front door of her doll’s house, the
name Willows Farm popped into her
head and it just seemed to fit.
Famous for kit-bashing kits of all
sizes, Michele planned to greatly en-
large and modify the basic structure,
beginning with the front elevation. She
changed the front door, the window Above: The front door is warm and inviting.
shutters, flower boxes, the porch’s Above far right: Michelle tried her hand at
support posts, the patio flooring, and making flowers to fill the posts and they were
lighting, all of which she handmade. a success.
She added a pergola and patio with an Right: The interior room of the house from
outdoor stone fireplace on one end, the patio entrance.
the perfect spot for outdoor TV watch-
ing on cool nights. Michele used a variety of materials
As a trained artist who attended that did not come with the kit: egg
the High School of Art and Design in cartons, cardboard, sandpaper, cop-
Manhattan, and studied architectural per tubing, burlap twine, paper, fabric,
engineering and surveying in college, and paints. The result was a warm and
Michele has a keen eye for home de- inviting facade that exudes Southern
sign and décor. She knew the process farmhouse charm.
of expanding the footprint of the doll’s She loved making the flower buck-
house would be challenging, but knew ets that bracket the front door. “My first
each addition would come to her even- obstacle was getting planters to scale.
tually if she sat long enough and stared My go-to store had discontinued the
at it until inspiration pointed the way. tiny metal buckets I loved. I tried or-
To transform the front of the house, dering them on-line but they were too

60 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

HOUSE PROUD

DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

61
 FEATURE

big, so I figured out how to cut them

down to size and then tarnish them.
“I know of some amazing artisans
who create very realistic miniature
flowers. I am not one of them,” Michele
laughs.” I make flowers out of necessity
and to save funds to buy other things
I cannot make. I decided to make my
own flower pots and I absolutely love
them. These are late summer/early
fall flowers. I used several techniques
using paper punches. I knew I wanted
some red ornamental grass and sweet
potato vine like those planted around
my own house. I think they came out
fantastic.
“The project that was the most fun to
create was the patio’s swinging bed. It
was relatively easy and I love creating
furnishings that involve layers of paint
to create a distressed and weathered
look,” Michele points out.
Her second favourite is the tiny pug
asleep on the swinging bed. Finding a
small pug magnet on-line, she care-
fully applied a thin layer of flocking to

62 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD


Above: The house in progress shown from
the front.
Above right: A cosy place to watch TV and
enjoy the fresh air. Michele definitely has an
eye for design.
the dog’s body. When that dried, she
used acrylic paints to add shading
for a most realistic look. She loved the
outcome so much, the tiny dog will be-
come a staple in all her doll’s houses.
Beside the sleeping pug, Michele
propped a diminutive pug pillow that
was a gift from a friend.
The interior of the farmhouse is still
a work in progress. Michele juxtaposes
farmhouse rustic and industrial chic to
create a timeless space with modern
conveniences. Her industrial lighting
has captured lots of attention that oth-
ers often try to emulate.
Now that she has retired, Michele
is free to focus full time on her doll’s
houses and miniatures.
“I have plenty of time to try new
methods, make some mistakes, and
HOUSE PROUD
fix my mishaps. I love the freedom to
express myself in miniature. I also love
interior design and decorating. Own-
ing several houses allows me to style
each one differently, something few of
us get to do in real life.
“I become easily bored with pro-
jects that are time consuming or re-
petitive, so I enjoy moving from project
to project making new pieces. Right
now I have three houses I’m working
on. If I get bored with one, I can jump
to another. The flip side is it takes a
long time for any one house to be
completed.”
In her spare time, Michele sells
twelfth scale doll clothing on Etsy
where she strives for a contempo- knows where everything is!
rary, realistic look in her line of mini She said: “I hope the miniature com-
fashions and footwear. She also cre- munity continues to grow and expand.
ates twelfth scale ball-jointed dolls I love connecting with doll’s house and
she loves to photograph against the miniature artists and enthusiasts. I’m
backdrops of her various structures. so thankful there is an online commu-
She admits her workspace is com- nity of creative collectors to share our
plete chaos for anyone who is not an works of art, motivate, and inspire one
extreme miniaturist, but swears she another.”
DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
63
 MINI MAKES

Beehive will add rural

charm to your garden
Bees need all the encouragement they can get, so adding a
beehive to your mini garden is a good way to show support

BY DAVID HARTSHORN

i
f you are looking for a way to make
your miniature garden a bit more
imaginative then this little beehive
could be the answer. In the “real
world”, beyond our personal gardens,
bees play an essential role. First off,
they produce delicious honey; bees
also help plants produce fruits and
flower blossoms as well as other vari-
ous importances. They are also food
for humming birds and dragonflies, to
name a few. These little creatures are
essential for our livelihoods as well as
other animals and plants.
However, our buzzing friends are in
trouble. Their populations are rapidly
decreasing in the UK and other parts
of the world. However, there are some
things we can do to help them survive
such as building a safe beehive for
them!
Step 2. Cut four pieces of 5mm square
timber into 60mm lengths and glue
them to the top. Make sure they are
vertical while they dry. (See diagram
3).
Step 3. For the sides use the feather
edge weather board with the thin edge
at the top. Cut the lengths for the sides
of the beehive and glue each starting
at the bottom. (See diagram 4).
Step 4. Then cut the front and back
pieces tapered to the shape made
by the sides. The bottom front edge
should have a small piece removed to
allow the bees to enter the hive. Glue
these on before starting the next row
of boards. There should be three rows
to the top of the hive when you need to
cut the sloping shape for the roof.
Step 5. The gable ends are the same
shape and should be level with the top
of the frame at the eaves. (See diagram
5).
Step 6. Slightly overlap the roof at the
sides and ends and finish with a small
piece of 2mm square wood across the
join on the top. (See diagram 6).
Step 7. Finally, choose a suitable finish
such as paint or a stain to complete
your rural beehive. I had a beehive
in a miniature garden, which looked
really old. It leaned to one side and
was covered with moss and lichen with
some of the boards looking as if they
had rotted away. It was quite effective–
just a thought!

Step 1. Make the base and top with

the corners of the frame cut out. The
overlap is for the bees to alight before
entering the hive. (See diagrams 1 and
2).

You will need

Light wood:
■ 1 piece 5mm x 5mm square
(for the frame)
■ 1 piece 50mm x 1.5mm (for the
top, bottom, roof and gable ends)
■ 2 pieces of 15mm x 1.5mm (for
the feather edged weather board-
sides)

64 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

 MINI MAKES
Diagram 1.

Diagram 2.

Diagram 3.

Diagram 4. Diagram 5. Diagram 6.

DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

65
 MINI MAKES

Toss coins to help a

tambourine player
A tiny tambourine makes a great addition to lots of scenes,
including this coffee shop. Make some mini music and put
together one of your own

BY RANDALL CASTLE

M
usic is food for the soul. I play
my ukulele to chill and get
re-centred. My friend plays
his guitar at his aunt’s coffee
shop and his girlfriend wanted to join
him, but needed an instrument to play.
Here’s how we made one.

Step 1. First, stack up three pennies. Step 5. Lay that strip on your board
Stick a small blob of wax in-between to and tape it at both ends.
hold them together.

You will need

n Three pennies Step 6. Now grab 5 sequins and put a
n Wax Step 2. Hold up a piece of card stock spot of wood glue in the base of each
n Card stock and make a mark for the height. Cut a with a toothpick.
n Knife and ruler long strip with a knife and ruler.
n Pencil Step 7. Place a seed bead on the glue
n Wood glue Step 3. Wrap it around the pennies al- and slide the sequins away so the glue
n Tape lowing a 1/8” over lap and cut. doesn’t stick through the tiny hole. Let
n 15 sequins dry.
n Seed bead Step 4. Now wrap the card stock strip
n White glue around a second time and mark with Step 8. Grab three sequins and cut
n Scissors a pencil where it overlaps, under and them in half.
n Rounded scissors over.
n Toothpick
n Paint
n Paint brush TOPTIP
n Ribbon or thin tape You can use scrap book papers in
different colour for your tambourine.

66 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

 MINI MAKES
TOPTIP
Rounded tip scissors make cutting
curves or circle a lot easier!

Step 15. Flip over and run some white

glue around the inside edges of the
tambourine to be sure the top says on.
Let set.

Step 16. Paint your tambourine sides.

Let dry. Add a thin ribbon or thin piece
of tape around the top edge.

Step 13. Wrap your card around the

pennies and glue it together.
Step 9. Line them up in-between I pushed my pennies out a little so
the two marks you made so they are any excess wood glue wouldn’t stick to
evenly spaced. them while it dried.

Step 17. From the inside, use your

toothpick to put wood glue in the mid-
dle of each slot, then slide the sequin
sandwiches in and let dry. Be sure they
stay centred.

Step 10. Make marks with your pencil Step 14. Once the glue has set, cut
so you know where they will go. Keep away the excess with rounded scissors.
the width of the line the same as the
sequin.

Step 11. By now your white glue

should be dry. Put another blob of glue
on top of each seed bead and then
place a sequin on each so now you
have a sequin sandwich.

Step 12. Go back to your card stock

and cut out slots the thickness of the
sequin sandwich. Do a test fit.

DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

67

Sonia Messer doll’s
house furniture
Collector Troy Bettridge shares his Sonia Messer doll’s house
furniture collection and tells us more about specific pieces as
well as the company owned and run by a dynamic woman
BY TROY BETTRIDGE
S
onia Messer furniture
has been so suc-
cessful and popular
throughout the years
because its one-scale piec-
es are based on classic and
timeless designs. The com-
pany that became known
as Sonia Messer Imports
started out in the 1930s by Charles
Waite in Lynnfield Massachusetts and
was distributed through a company
called Block House, Inc.
Block House was an import distribu-
tor of toys and miniatures based out of
New York City. Sonia Messer’s com-
pany had many names throughout its
history. It was first known as Lynnfield,
then H.M. Miniatures, Andi Imports and
finally Sonia Messer, all being distrib-
uted by Block House, Inc.
Early pieces resembled their com-
petitor TynieToy, and even also had
painted designs. In the 1940s, the com-
pany hired Henry Messerschmidt and
his wife to oversee the look and design
of the miniature furniture and helped it
68 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
VINTAGE MINIS
to find its style.
Pieces included Chip-
pendale, Duncan Phyfe and
Federal style influenced
dining room sets, bedroom
sets, living room sets, and
even a kitchen set. Dur-
ing this time, the line was
known as H.M. Miniatures.
For the most part, little changed with
the line until 1964 when the Mess-
erschmidts retired and the Richard
Roeder took over. Under Roeder’s
management, production of the min-
iatures was moved to Columbia and
handled by the Andi Company. Other
changes were that the nail head door
and drawer pulls were replaced with
stamped brass Chippendale style pulls
and the furniture line was reduced to
just a few of the most popular pieces.
Sonia Messer was born on Novem-
ber 23, 1932 in Los Angeles, Califor-
nia. Sonia was a businesswoman and
worked up the corporate ladder to
be head bookkeeper at Seaboard
Finance Company in Los Angeles from
1950-1959. In 1959, she opened a
travel agency called Stuyvesant Travel
in New York City which operated from
1959-1965 until she ventured into doll’s
house furniture.
It was during this time on a trip to
Brazil, that Sonia heard about a doll’s
house furniture factory. She toured
the factory and decided to make it
her next project. She purchased the
factory and she brought back Block
House as the distributor for the minia-
tures on the East coast, while she took
on distributing the line on the West
coast. She kept the classic designs
made popular by the Messerschmidts,
but also designed new lines including
a redesigned Queen Anne set with its
signature white and green floral print
fabric.
The period styles remained the
same over the years as did the nice
quality and it continued to be made of
genuine solid mahogany and mahog-
any veneers and assembled with tiny
nails. During the 1970s she also de-
signed and produced over 400 pieces
Below left: These are some rare Sonia
Messer accessories. The trunk has leather
and nail hinges and rope handles, a mahoga-
ny serving tray and a foot stool or step.
Above: A Sonia Messer coffee table, end
table and Demi Lune table from the 1970’s
Queen Anne collection.
Above right: The living room of Troy’s
vintage 1980’s house furnished with Sonia
Messer furniture. The sofa and chair and
secretary are part of the Queen Anne English
deluxe living room set and date from the
1970s. The grand piano and bench dates
from the 1960s. The china cabinet is from the
Queen Anne English deluxe dining room set.
Right: A Block House Duncan Phyfe style
dining room table and chairs that date from
the 1960s. The corner cabinet is from the
1950s and the Demi Lune table is a Sonia
Messer piece from the 1970s. The wallpaper
is by House of Miniatures from the 1980s.
VINTAGE MINIS

DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

69
 VINTAGE MINIS

‘ Because of the high

‘
quality and the sheer
quantity of pieces
produced, they have
held their value.

Top: The upstairs bedroom of Troy’s 1980’s vintage doll’s house has mahogany Sonia Messer
Empire style pieces. The twin bed with the original mattress is from the 1970s. The two
dressers are from the 1940s -1950s while the night stand and vanity date from the 1960’s.
Above: A close-up of Sonia Messer Federal style bedroom furnishings from different
decades.
Right: Different label styles on pieces. “BLOCK HOUSE INC.” pieces date from the 1940s-
early 1960s. “MADE IN COLUMBIA” labels were used in the mid 1960s. After Sonia Messer
took over in the mid 1960s, the pieces were labeled “MADE IN COLUMBIA/Exclusively For/
SONIA MESSER IMPORTS/Los Angeles, California”.

70 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

 VINTAGE MINIS

Above: Later pieces came in labelled boxes

and with a little history about the period of
furniture.
Right: This Block House Chippendale book
case dates from the 1950s, the secretary
dates from the 1960s and the walnut Sonia
Messer chaise dates from the 1970s.
Below right: A collection of Sonia Messer
seating upholstered in its distinctive white
and green floral print fabric. Most of these
pieces date from the 1970s and are part of
the Queen Anne living room set.
Bottom right: A dresser, secretary and china
cabinet from Sonia Messer’s Queen Anne
deluxe collection.

of doll’s house furniture; a 17th Cen-

tury Victorian, 18th Century French,
Early American, Early English, Span-
ish, and some contemporary lines.
These sets were all marked “Made
in Columbia Exclusively for Sonia
Messer Imports, Los Angeles Califor-
nia”. Production of the lines ceased in
the 1980s as less expensive miniatures
were produced by Asian markets.
Today the furniture is sometimes
referred to as “Lynnfield,” “Block
House”, “Lynn field-Block House”, or
“Sonia Messer”. Sonia Messer helped
to maintain the high quality that Ches-
ter Waite had started throughout the
company’s more than fifty-year history.
The appeal of these pieces to me, is
their classic design.
Because of the high quality and the
sheer quantity of pieces produced,
they have held their value, and many
are still readily available at antique
shops and online websites and auc-
tion sites. I have enjoyed looking for,
repairing and collecting these pieces.

DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

71
 MINI MAKES

Pretty cupcakes look

good at a tea party
Make some rose cupcakes with
rose & violet creams

BY SADIE BROWN

A
little cupcake topped with an
edible rose is a great dea to add
to a summer tea party scene.

Step 1.Fill a cupcake mould with pink
polymer clay and use a ball tool or the
end of a small brush to create a hollow
in the centre and making a rim around
the edge of the cupcake case.
Step 2. Take a ball of cream (white
mixed with a touch of yellow) clay and
shape into the ‘muffin top’ of the cup-
cake. Brush with a rich mix of Golden
Ochre, dark Cadmium Orange and
brown pastels before adding texture
using an old toothbrush.
Step 4. Roll some very tiny carrot
shapes of pink clay and flatten with
your fingernail. Roll one into the cen-
tre of the rose, arranging the others
around it to build up the flower. Put
on top of the icing along with a tiny
leaf made from a tiny carrot shape of
Spring Green clay flattened and with a
line scored down the centre.

You will need

n Polymer clay: white, yellow,
pink, spring green, and purple Step 3. Use a little Bake & Bond to ad-
n Pastels: golden Ochre, dark here the cupcake top to the case. Mix
Cadmium Orange, brown, and some cream clay and Bake & Bond Step 5. After baking and cooling, add
black using an old butter knife to create a some decorative polka dots to the cup-
n White acrylic paint vanilla icing mixture. Use a needle tool cake cases using the point of a needle
n Sculpey Bake & Bond to add a swirl of the icing to the top of tool dipped in white acrylic paint.
n Mini cupcake mould the cupcake. Allow to dry before coating everything
n Needle tool with matte varnish to finish.
n Ball tool
n Small brush
n Old butter knife
n Old toothbrush
n Gloss and matte varnish

72 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD


Step 6. Take some pale pink and pale
lilac clay, roll into tiny tubes about
3/16” in length and flatten a little with
your fingernail to create the basic
chocolate shapes.
Step 7. Mix some Bake & Bond with
brown and black grated pastel to cre-
ate a luscious dark chocolate mixture.
Dip the clay in the mixture and allow
it to drip down the sides just like real
chocolates!
Step 8. Add either a tiny piece of pink
or purple clay to the top of the choco-
lates before baking.
Step 9. Cut the end from one rose
cream and one violet cream, coat the
open ends with Bake & Bond which
has been mixed with pink clay and
purple clay and return to the oven to
bake the ‘filling’. Coat the ‘filling’ with
gloss and the rest with matte.
MINI MAKES
READERS’ TIPS
MAKE WROUGHT IRON BRACKETS BY SANDRA GURNEY TURNER
1. Cut the bracket frame to the size
you need from any thin wood, with a
longer one for the top. Sand smooth
and paint black.
2. Cut quilling paper into short
pieces, but longer than needed.
You will need
n Black quilling strips, or
other strong flexible paper
n Krazy or Superglue
n Scissors
n Black paint
n Paint brush
n Sandpaper
n Darning needle, small
dowel, or quilling pen
n Glossy sealer
The width should be a little nar-
rower than the wood frame.
3. Twirl them around the needle,
dowel, or quilling pen if you have
one. Make the main one longer, the
ends going in different directions,
and make sure the fit is good before
gluing. I trimmed all the other curls
shorter, depending on look and fit.
4. Glue the main piece under the
longest piece of wood, and glue
the other piece of wood to the right
side. It will touch the top bracket
and side of the quilling paper. Hold
it even while it dries.
Continue to trim your paper curls
to fit and glue them to the main de-
sign. Seal with a glossy sealer.
DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
73
 MINI MAKES

Install some modern

mini deck lights
Adding light to an outdoor scene is easier than you think.
Follow along with Kristine and bring our miniature garden
to life with a little mood lighting

BY KRISTINE HANNA

t
hese modern deck lights eas- tive wires together to the power supply.
ily take your outdoor scene from The size of your project and the
day to night. They use minia- length of your LED wires will deter-
ture drawer pulls to create that mine how much extra wiring you will
rounded shape and style to direct the need to do. You might need to add ex-
light downwards – just like the real tra length to your LED strands to reach
thing! Even better, there’s no soldering the power supply like I did.
required. To extend your length, start by
cutting extra long strands of both the
under the deck. Mark the location of black and red hookup wire and use
where you want the lights with a pencil wire strippers to trim them. Also cut
then drill a hole in each marked spot 1/2” pieces of the shrink tubing for
with the 1/8” drill bit. You might also each connection.
need to drill extra holes to run wiring
through walls and obstacles.

Step 1. Map out the placement of your

deck lights and consider where your
wires will hide. I chose to put one deck
light every second stair and hide the
wires inside the planter boxes and
Step 3. Twist all the red wires from the
LEDs together and then the same with
You will need the black. Thread the piece of shrink
n Power drill with 1/8” drill bit tube over the group.
n 3mm LEDs in warm light
n Wire strippers 20-32 AWG
n Hook up wire
n Shrink tube in both 1/8” and
1/16”
n Hair dryer
n Miniature drawer pulls
n Doll’s house transformer or
battery pack with switch Step 2. To wire your lights, you will
n Masking tape need to connect all your red/positive
wires together and all the black/nega-

74 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD


Step 4. Take your extending wire
piece and twist it firmly together with
the grouped wires. Make sure all the
wires are touching each other.
Step 5. Slide over the piece of shrink
tube, so it covers the exposed wires.
Step 6. To secure the shrink tube and
protect the connection, take a hair
dryer and blast the shrink tubing with
hot air. The rubber will shrink and cre-
ate a tight fit around all of the exposed
wires.
Step 7. Now you have enough wire
to thread through to the back of your
project. It’s always a good idea to test
your lights at this stage and make sure
your connection is reliable.
MINI MAKES
Step 8. Push the bulbs of the LEDs into
the 1/8” holes you made and secure
with masking tape. LEDs never get hot,
so you don’t have to worry! Thread the
rest of the wires through to the back of
your project.
Step 9. Connect your light wiring to
your power source. Twist together
the red and black light wires to their
respective red and black power source
wires. Cover with shrink tube and add
heat to secure. You can either use a bat-
tery pack or a doll’s house transformer.
I used one with multiple switches to
separate the different lighted areas.
Each section of my lights has its own
button switch to turn them off and on.
Step 10. Turn on your lights to once
again make sure everything is work-
ing. With the lights still on, take the
drawer pulls and glue them over the
lighted holes. Take care to make sure
the top of the drawer pull is firmly on
the wall. You don’t want any light shin-
ing anywhere but from the bottom.
Step 11. Finally, the drawer pull holes
come with two holes you will need to
conceal. You can use tiny nails, but I
found painting was a quick and easy
disguise.
You can use this method to create
all kinds of lighting options for your
scene. I added extra lights in my pool
and fenced area too. You could also
change the direction of the light by
swivelling around the drawer pulls
so that the light is directed upwards.
See more of my work at www.paper-
dollminiatures.com.
O If you like the idea of this project but
would prefer to buy lighting and wires
already made, then contact:
little links:
Lighting Bug Ltd
web: www.lightingbugltd.com
email: contact@lightingbugltd.com
tel: 001 931-287-0195
DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
75
 MINI MAKES

A mini trellis full

of morning glory
Make a twelfth scale morning glory vine for your doll’s house
garden or house front. Follow these easy steps by Jo to
bring your garden inside this chilly winter

BY JO BEVILACQUA

i
f you have a love for gardening Step 3. Cut brass wire into 30 pieces 1
then it only makes sense to recre- 3/4” long.
ate your garden experience into
miniatures. I actually taught my
first class teaching a clematis vine in
a clay pot and trellis in 2004. Morning
glory was the last garden that I created
and was the smallest, although the
most complex and detailed of all of my
gardens. Step 6. Begin at the end of the green
wire and attach one of the double bird
Step 1. Begin by cutting 2 -9” lengths foot pieces to this florist wire.
of florist wire. Step 4. Lay the shorter brass wire over
the 2 1/2” long piece of brass wire. Ap-
Step 2. Cut brass wire into 15 pieces ply pressure with needle nose pliers in
that are 2 1/2” long. the centre, twisting tightly in one direc-
tion until the joint is tight.

You will need

n Round ball tool for curling or
glass head straight pin in an X-
Acto knife handle Step 7. Add these branches along the
n Fine scissors florist wire. The piece should have 5 of
n Art paper the branches on the limb.
n 28 gauge brass wire
n 20 gauge florist wire
n Needle nose pliers Step 5. Repeat this process on the op-
n Wire cutting pliers posite end of the 2 1/2” piece. It should
n Fun foam look like bird foot on each end. This is
n 1 can of green spray paint a branch. Make 6 of these branches.
n T-shirt paint
n Pointy sharp tool
n Acrylic paints - Avocado light
and medium, Burnt Umber, yel-
low, white, Royal Blue, purple, Step 8. Spread all the branches
black outward all along the limb. Apply the
T-shirt paint. I use a bright colour. This

76 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD


paint will lock the branches onto the
limb so that they won’t move.
Step 9. Pose each branch on the limb
once the paint is dry.
Step 10. Using art paper, paint with
green acrylic paint in streaks length-
ways for variegation in colour. Paint
both sides of the paper.
Step 11. Cut the painted paper into
1/4” to 3/8” wide strips by 2” long for
the leaves.
Step 12. Cut small heart shape leaves.
You can fold the paper in half and cut
it to achieve the difficult heart shape
leaves.
‘ I actually taught my first class teaching a
clematis vine in a clay pot and trellis in 2004.
MINI MAKES
Step 13. Use the curling tool or glass
head straight pin inserted into an X-
Acto handle. Roll the ball end gently
over the paper on the fun foam.
Step 14. Bend the wire tips into an ‘L’
shape on each branch tip, so the ends
are flat for applying leaves.
Add a dot of craft glue to each wire
end. Let dry, then reapply another dot
of craft glue to the wire ends again. Ap-
ply a leaf to each glue dot. Take your
time here and do only a few at a time.
Step 15. Once all the leaves are ap-
plied to the branch tips and dry, apply
more glue to the back of each leaf
once they have been glued to the wire
branches.
‘
Step 16. Spread the branches on the
limb to the position you want them with
the leaves now on.
Tape the end of the limb onto a
piece of cardboard and spray the
entire vine with green paint on both
sides.
Step 17. Flower tubes: Use either
stationary paper or art paper, cut into
triangles with tips cut off in a trapezoid
shaped. They should be approximately
1/4” in length by 3/16” in overall size.
Step 18. Lay the pieces onto the fun
foam. Gently roll the little pieces so
they are partially curled.
Step 19. Apply craft glue to the pieces,
smoothing the glue thin.
DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
77
 MINI MAKES
Step 20. Roll the flower stem tube into
an angled cone. Let them dry.
Step 21. Paint the art paper purple
and Royal Blue on both sides. Use a
1/4” hole punch (regular 3 ring binder
size) and punch the flower circles out.
Use the curling tool to slightly curl the
circles.
Step 22. The flower cone stems will
become the throat to each petal (hole
punched circle) and you want them
pointed on one end and flanged out
on the wider end. The wider end will
attach to the circle punched petal. Add
glue to the throat cone and then apply
them onto the centre of each purple
circle.
Step 23. Use the pointy tool and open
up the round part flower (in the centre
of the circle) to open into the tube – the
throat of the morning glory flower.
Step 24. Paint the flower face with the
lighter blue/purple, then apply the
darker colour over it while shading the
outer edges so they are darker.
78 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD
Step 25. Paint the under sides of the
circle flower in a streaks of white, pur-
ple, and Royal Blue.
Step 26. Using white paint, add a frag-
ile star shape from the centre to the
outer edge.
Step 27. Apply the vine to your chosen
trellis. Pose it in place. You may use
a finer brass wire or thread to tie the
vine to the trellis.
Step 28. Lastly, decide where to apply
each blossom on the vine. Add a dot of
craft glue to both the vine and to the tip
of the cone stem. Press in place.
Full size inspiration
Each blue or magenta flower of
ipomoea, the morning glory, lasts
just one day, but it blooms reli-
ably throughout the summer. The
dense mat of heart-shaped leaves
provide a perfect backdrop for
the cheery flowers.
 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

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DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

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 SMALL ADS
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80 DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

 SMALL ADS

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DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

81
 WHERE i WORK
THIS MONTH WE VISIT THE WORKSHOP OF MINIATURIST REBECCA STEWART.
Hi Rebecca, tell us where you create?
A guest bedroom that has been converted
into ‘my creative space’. I have two spaces,
as the room has an adjoining bathroom.
That has become my painting, staining and
scroll saw cutting room. When I need larger
pieces of wood ripped down, out to the
garage I go.
Do you always make your minis in
the same place? I try to. However, I’m
known to go outside on a warm sunny
day to create. I can also be found work-
ing on miniature pieces when I travel
either by car or plane. Fantastic conver-
sation starter on an aeroplane.
Do you work at set times? I usually
work on miniatures during the day when
my husband is at work and our son is at
school. I will admit, whenever I have free time, you
will find me in my workspace. It’s hard for me to
set strict times for creating, I enjoy it so much!
What makes your space for mini making so
special? My workspace is a unique collection of
many things that make me happy.
Do you keep your workspace private? I enjoy
sharing the space with others and welcome visi-
tors anytime.
“IT’S HARD FOR ME TO SET STRICT TIMES FOR CREATING, I ENJOY IT SO MUCH!”
Do you listen to music while you work?
Aside from the chirping of the birds land-
ing on the window bird feeder, I usually
have the space quite.
Name one thing that is banned from
your workspace? The only rule I have
for my workspace is no sports allowed
in any form. With my husband working
in athletics, and having a son, there’s a
lot of sports.
Describe your workspace in five
words. Organised, bright and cheery
(oops that’s two words), inspiring, happy,
treasure-filled (oops that’s two words
again).
What is the one thing that your work-
space can’t be missing? Sunshine.
What or where would be your dream work-
space? I really enjoy my current workspace.
However, I’m outgrowing it. I’ve been weighing the
idea of building a free standing ‘building/studio/
cottage’ on our property. This would allow me to
have more room and true dedicated
spaces for everything that goes into
creating miniatures and operating
my Etsy shop. My dad and I would
build the space.
 Don’t miss dollshouse.live
The team at Dolls House World weren’t sitting idly
by during lockdown. As well as producing the
magazine we also came up with an online news-
letter to serve the mini community.
But the good news is that Dollshouse.live has
been such an amazing success that we’ve
decided we have to keep it running.
Dollshouse.live is full of fascinating
features, projects and videos, and all
totally free — little wonder the
site has become incredibly
popular with miniatur-
ists in the UK and
around the world.

The newsletter began as a way of keeping miniaturists in

touch with the hobby during lockdown, and also letting people
know how makers and others were coping with isolation.
But it has grown incredibly. Now our mini mad team add new features
every week. We are sharing articles from the magazine, but are
bringing you a wealth of exciting new content and up-to-the minute
news on shows and makers.
So don’t miss out. Go to www.dollshouse.live
on your computer or phone now to read
the site everyone’s talking about.

DOLLS HOUSE WORLD

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